


You're All I Need

by Ace_ee



Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Jealous Number Five | The Boy, M/M, Manipulative Relationship, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Number Five | The Boy, Secret Relationship, Sexual Content, Substance Abuse, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:36:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26736004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ace_ee/pseuds/Ace_ee
Summary: Vanya was Five’s. Everyone knew that. Everyone knew that he didn’t like sharing- a horrible habit he had developed as a young child. He never liked to share his toys and it was no surprise that he didn’t like sharing his favorite one. Vanya was his and his alone.
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves/Luther Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves/Vanya Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves/Eudora Patch, Diego Hargreeves/Lila Pitts, Dolores/Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy), Grace Hargreeves/Reginald Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves/David "Dave" Katz, Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy) & Everyone, Number Five | The Boy/Vanya Hargreeves, Raymond Chestnut/Allison Hargreeves, Sissy Cooper/Vanya Hargreeves, Vanya Hargreeves & Everyone, Vanya Hargreeves/Leonard Peabody
Comments: 119
Kudos: 289





	1. Chapter 1

Five adjusted his tie loosely as he sat himself on his leather chair in a huff. He had just attended three back to back meetings. One of which was a meeting with his hard ass father, who had spent the majority of the hour scolding him for not being good enough.

_“How do you expect to someday run this company if you think this year’s quarterly is satisfactory?”_

He made the mistake of thinking his father would ever be satisfied and entered his office with a smug look on his face. He thought he was going to get his back handed praises, because his father can’t ever give out a compliment without making sure to degrade his children at the same time. No, he didn’t get those either.

He led a successful quarter as the Vice President of Umbrella Corporations, despite the bad press they had gotten for the last few months. Klaus had got caught getting high during a drug raid a few months back. He wasn’t even part of the operations and was simply associated with one of the dealers so he wouldn’t need to go beg their father for more money.

Klaus one of the first of their family to crumble before the pressure of their father’s expectations.

He turned to drugs at a young age because he couldn’t handle the pressure and hadn’t amounted to anything worth in their father’s eyes since. They thought he was turning his life around with that Dave guy as his life coach. Five didn’t actually know if the two were a thing officially, but he did know that Dave moving away after had sent his brother to the deep end.

He didn’t know what had caused Dave to take off, but from what he gathered from his brother’s drunk ramblings from that one night he crashed on his couch was that it was all _his_ fault. Five, ever the genius, knew that he was talking about their father rather than Dave himself.

The scandal with a Hargreeves getting caught in a drug raid and then subsequently bailed out with nothing but a slap on the wrist had given Umbrella Corp bad press for months after the incident. They were accused of covering up the incident with money so that Klaus wouldn’t get sent to jail.

Five, the dutiful child he was, covered it up quickly. He bribed and threatened many news outlets to stop covering his brother’s scandal and instead advertise his upcoming project. Umbrella Corp is the number one multi-billion company in the world, and it didn’t get there by being nice. Being an old company that outlasted many competitors before them had its perks. They know many of the news outlets and competitor’s weaknesses. Weaknesses that were severe enough that one word from of the Hargreeves was enough to shut them all up.

Of course, the damage was already done, and his poor idiot brother had to pay for it.

Their father sent Klaus away to one of his estates in Dallas with just profession personnel to overlook his rehabilitation. No one from their family was allowed to visit. No one from the outside world was allowed to visit. Until the assigned personnel had deemed him sober enough to join society-which he doubts will happen anytime soon because these are people being paid by their father to take care of Klaus- he will remain there for the rest of his days. All alone.

Ben was closest with Klaus. He was there looking at his brother disapprovingly when a young Klaus would roll a joint underneath the table while everyone else sat quietly eating their breakfast while listening to a boring old record about business ethics and strategies that their father put on. He was there when Klaus was found overdosed in a supply closet at work because he was too nervous to attend his meeting. He was there when Klaus fell off the deep end when Dave had left him.

He tried visiting Klaus last month, but their father had found out his plans and had issued for him to head their business overseas. Ben didn’t like being in charge. He just wasn’t cut out for it. He was the second sibling to be crushed under the pressure of their father and would rather be in the background being an assistant to him.

Five liked Ben. He wasn’t as idiotic as their other siblings. He had ambitions other than pleasing their father. He was studying to get his master’s degree and a teaching degree because he wanted to be a schoolteacher in Literature. He found literature boring if it wasn’t about theoretical physics, but he knew that Ben would have been a great teacher because of how much of his passion for books had been passed onto him when they were together.

He was just _really_ tired. His new assistant didn’t know shit about coffee and he had her fired right away for daring to put some sugary foamy coffee on his desk. He wasn’t ashamed to admit to himself that he missed his brother from then on.

With that thought, he decided to head home. The old man told him to stay and work over time to make for the “disaster quarter of the century” but he didn’t really care much for his father’s opinion at that moment. If he was going to be unreasonable and not see that it should been far worst, then he wasn’t going to stay to try and appease a bitter old man.

“Fuck Dad,” He told himself as he packed up his things and headed out of his office. As soon as his back hit the cool leather seat of his luxurious car, all of frustrations seemed to melt away because being in his car meant that he was going back home. He was going back to _his_ Vanya.

He vaguely remembers when he first met Vanya. He was just a little kid back then. Just four or five years old. He had just finished his lessons with his tutors, and while his other siblings elected to spend their free time playing out in the backyard, he wanted to continue reading this interesting book about numbers.

And there he found her. In his usual spot. She was smaller than he was but she had these big brown eyes that he just couldn’t stop staring at. He remembers that she was dirty. Smelled something awful. Her clothes looked too big on her and had many tears and holes. He remembers seeing her dirty fingers touching his favorite book.

He remembers yanking the book away from her and then mustered all the strength in his young body to push her off the chair. He remembers the girl crying and a blonde woman coming into the room to pick her up to try and comfort her.

He doesn’t know who the woman is. She isn’t one of the tutors or the nannies. But later on he’s commanded to start calling her _Mom_.

He remembers his father coming into the room and he remembers how he froze at the look of disgust in his face. He remembers feeling relieved though that he was not looking at _him_ like that but rather the girl.

“ _Get that thing cleaned up. How foul. She’s dirtied up the furniture_.”

Five will always remember the look of absolute sadness in both the blonde woman’s face and the little girl.

He remembers trying to follow the woman and the girl because the girl with the big brown eyes asked him to. Not verbally, but she just kept on staring at him like she was telling him to come with. His father stops him.

 _“Don’t associate yourself with filth, Number Five. We Hargreeves deserve the best and nothing less than that._ ”

He remembers when his father introduces the blonde woman during dinner with the little girl nowhere to be found. The woman’s name is Grace, but father tells him and his other siblings that she was now their mother.

They were too desperate for parental love that they didn’t object. They were too young to know better- to know that Grace wasn’t their mother. She was just a glorified nanny that got the social services off their father’s back so they won’t take away his children. His future investments.

Grace tried her best to give them all the love they deserve. She even got permission from their father to give them real names just under a week that she started being their mother. She argued that the social services would think it to be horrible that he numbered his children.

He stuck with Five. He didn’t like the name Peter. Or Quintin. He was Five.

Over time, his siblings accepted Grace as their real mother. Diego more than anyone else. He hogged Grace. He wanted her to spend most of her time with him. Their father had been especially cruel to Diego because of his stutter, but Grace had helped him with it.

She loved them and they loved her. It was impossible not to.

One day, he asks about the girl. The girl with big brown eyes and dirty face. He remembers seeing Grace stiffen up before smiling at him dismissively and told him that the girl was gone. He felt a strange stirring in his chest but elected to ignore it and continue to devour the fluffernutter sandwich that Grace had made for him.

The sandwiches were a godsend. A year or so since Grace had entered the household, he had snuck down to the kitchen past his bed time to see if Grace was still up so he could coerce her to make him one for a midnight snack.

He sees the girl. The girl with big brown eyes. They were staring at him warily and slightly covered by her bangs. Her hair wasn’t a mess anymore and was straight and smooth. He sees her with his sandwich.

The girl right away gives it to him without him even asking. He looks at it hesitantly. He remembers his father describing the girl as filth and was afraid of the diseases she might give to him. He looks up at the girl to see her smiling at him expectantly. The smile made him feel weird. It made him feel bad for thinking of her badly when she was happily smiling at him.

He didn’t like feeling bad, so he threw the sandwich at her. It made a sticky stain on her pajamas before it fell splat on the floor. It didn’t make him feel good to see her start to tear up or to see her dirty again. She bent down to gather the sandwich and threw it away. She went to grab a rag and reached over the kitchen faucet to wet it. It was like she has done this before. He watched as she wiped the floor clean.

He watched as the girl climbed up the counters to get the peanut butter jar- probably to make him another sandwich- however she was too small.

“ _Get down from there or you’ll hurt yourself” he tells her as he tried to hide anxiousness at her jumping on the counter._

The girl didn’t answer him and got the jar after a few more tries. She climbed down the counter and made him the sandwich. She stared at him while he ate, but strangely he didn’t feel annoyed or weirded out by her. It felt comfortable almost.

She stays seated when he gets up to go back into his room. He looks at her questioningly and was about to speak to her about anything- but most likely to apologize for throwing the sandwich at her. However, he heard the telltale steps of Grace’s heels clicking on the floor and froze.

The girl grabbed his arm and hid him in the pantry. Five didn’t like touching people. He didn’t like people touching him. But it was weird. It seemed for a moment that the girl’s touch was welcomed by him before she separated them to shut the pantry door in his face.

_“There you are sweetheart. You nearly gave me a heart attack. What are you doing here?”_

_“I got hungry, Mommy.”_

_“I’m sorry that I took so long, but sweetie you know the rules. You can’t go upstairs all by yourself without permission. Sir Reginald will get upset if the other children sees you.”_

_“Why? I want to play with them, Mommy”_

_There was a pause._

_“Because you aren’t like them, Vanya.”_

Five arrives at his penthouse utterly exhausted. He discards his things in his office before collapsing on the couch. He poured himself a glass of scotch and leaned back with his eyes closed to try and trick himself into relaxation.

It wasn’t until he felt soft lips pressed against his cheek and slowly trailing down to his neck that he finally felt relaxed.

“Rough day?” A voice asked him before he felt her pull away. He almost whimpered at the lose of her touch.

“Dad was a hard ass as usual,” He told her before feeling her straddle with and continued to kiss his neck and suck on a sensitive spot that got him groan out. He felt her take the glass of scotch and opened his eyes in time to see Vanya down the entire glass without so much a flinch. “That was mine,” he grumbled.

Vanya smiled at him brilliantly before leaning down to finally join their lips together. Her tongue made its way into his mouth and he moaned and the taste of _her_ and scotch. They separated for much needed air and he felt Vanya rest herself on his chest. “Sorry,” she told him coyly, not meaning it at all.

Five chuckled. His hands wondered down to her bare legs and touched them possessively.

“No you’re not.”

“No I’m not,” she giggles and continues to rest on him. He was sore and tired from work and her added weight on him was not helping with that.

But he didn’t care. He’ll give Vanya whatever she wanted. He’ll give Vanya the world. Because Vanya was his and she was all he needed.


	2. Chapter 2

Vanya remembers too much of the time before she started living in the Hargreeves mansion. She remembers her mother screaming. A man screaming. Her mother crying and holding onto the man. The man hitting her causing her to fall down on the floor. A door slamming. Her mother crying louder. The door doesn’t open again until some other men enter it.

She remembers when those people took away their furniture. She remembers when they had to live somewhere else. It was smaller, colder, and smelled bad. She remembers her mother telling her to head to a building after she finished attending her preschool classes. She remembers the smell of that crappy bar every day.

She remembers that she always had to sit on the floor behind the bar while she did her homework. She remembers her mother telling her that her customers didn’t like seeing her so she had to hide. She remembers thinking that her mother smiled a lot but it was never real.

She remembers when the water stopped and her mother could not put her in those fun bubble baths she loved to take. She remembers when the electricity also stopped and she couldn’t watch her cartoons anymore. She remembers when they took away all their furniture again.

She remembers when her mother took them to the public pool everyday before preschool just so she can take a proper shower. She remembers when a mean lady reported them so they got banned from the public pool.

She remembered watching television from a store window on her way to her mother’s work. She remembered staying there for an hour and her mother shouting at her and clutching her tightly when she finally arrived at the bar.

She remembers her mother stealing leftover food from stranger’s plates and them eating it for lunch and dinner.

She remembers the feeling of going to sleep on a cold floor of a rundown apartment building all alone. She remembers her mother begging the neighbors to look after her, but they refused because her mother did not have the money to pay them.

She remembers her mother making sure all the windows are shut and had her bundled up in a blanket. She remembers her mother crying and apologizing to her as she put her in a dark closet and told her to be quiet if she heard strange sounds and to not go out unless she opens the door for her.

She remembered that her mother repeated this routine for another three nights. Then she remembered opening her eyes and being in a large house. She remembered wondering around until she saw a room full of books and deciding to sit down and read one that looked interesting.

She remembers meeting a strange boy. She remembers him pushing her off the chair and onto the floor.

And she will never forget her step father’s first words about her.

“ _Get that thing cleaned up. How foul. She’s dirtied up the furniture.”_

* * *

Five is particularly rough with her tonight. Their father must have pissed him off immensely today.

“Vanya, shit,” He moaned out as she felt his hands hold her hips tighter and continued to jack-hammer her into the bed.

He’s given her four orgasms at this point. Vanya thinks he’s going for the fifth one for the irony of it.

Three amazing and painful consecutive orgasms from her favorite vibrator that she had been using to get herself off before she heard the door slam closed signaling her partner’s return to his penthouse. She left it on the bed to investigate as to where Five was and he didn’t like the sight of the toy at all.

He was carrying her from the sofa that they spent the last hour cuddling and making out on until Five decided that he didn’t want fall asleep on the couch after they had sex.

“Five, c’mon,” She whined to him as she gyrated her bare cunt against his clothed crotch. She didn’t get to finish herself off with her sex toy before Five had arrived home. She only had his pajama shirt on- too self conscious to walk around completely naked- but neglected to wear panties because she thought Five would have wanted her right away.

She had to wait to get Five into the mood too because of their asshole father.

She knows he’s had a bad day if he didn’t right away fuck her into the mattress as soon as he’s gotten home.

Now he didn’t even want to do her on the sofa while she was dry humping him and leaving questionable stains on his pants with her arousal. It must have been really bad for him to take the time and effort to carry her into his room instead of just devouring her then and there.

Vanya was pushed off him and dropped onto the mattress. Prior to this, she had her eyes shut and her tongue shoved into his mouth and moaning at the feel of his tongue against hers. She had complete faith in his ability to transport them to the bed, so she looked confused as to why she crashed onto the mattress.

She looked up to see a furious Five. He wasn’t looking at her though. She followed his line of sight to see him glaring at her vibrator. Innocent little Vanya didn’t get it and looked back at him. “What’s wrong?” she asked a little bit concerned.

“Vanya, didn’t I say you only get to use that.. _Thing_ if I was away on a business trip?” He said in a low and dangerous voice. He was furiously shedding off his clothes.

Vanya laughed, thinking he was joking around. “Five, you can’t be serious. You’re kidding me, right? You gave me that as a gift. I can use it whenever I want.”

“I gave you that as a gift because you said you’re going to miss me while I was away on a business trip last month! Then I _specifically_ told you that you’re only allowed to use it when I am away.”

She watched as he entered his walk-in closet. Probably to go change into pajamas, which was fine with her. She liked him in pajamas.

“You’re being ridiculous, Five. It’s just a vibrator.” Vanya knew that Five had a tendency to get jealous, but she doubts that he’s actually jealous of a sex toy.

“No I am not being ridiculous, V. When I tell you something, I expect you to listen to me. It’s simple as that.”

Vanya sighed. She knew by the tone in his voice that Five wasn’t in the proper mindset to see reason. She smiled patiently and got up to approach him in the closet. He was in the process of buttoning up his shirt. She went to go hug him from behind as he finished up.

There was silence while he rustled to close up his shirt as they both stood still.

“I’m still mad at you. Your hugs have no effect on me,” He told her gruffly and stubbornly.

“Really?” Her head peaked at his side.

“Really.”

“Hmm.. Okay then,” Her smug voice filled the air as she released him and skipped back to his bedroom. She didn’t even get a few steps out until she was pulled back into his embrace with her back colliding his hard abdomen. She felt his chin resting atop her head and smiled to herself.

“You ready to tell me what’s really bothering you?” Vanya asked softly. She had to be the patient one in the relationship.

There was silence again, but she knew he’ll tell her. “You said you were mine. Only mine,” he whispered almost inaudibly.

Everyone knew that Five had issues with sharing, but no one knew that better than Vanya.

She sighed and turned around to reciprocate his hug by encircling his waist with her petite arms. She tiptoed and pull his lips into a sweet kiss to soften him up and to reassure him of her place in his life.

“I am yours. Only yours. I promised. Remember?” She asked after separating from him enough so he can see the sincerity in her eyes. It was important for everyone that Five understands that she was only _his_ , or there would be hell to pay.

He didn’t answer, but she knew that he felt better about the situation.

Now that was issue was out of the way, it’s time to get back to business.

“I was thinking of you,” Vanya said shortly to see if he would respond.

“… Yeah?”

Vanya nods at him earnestly and she see that feral glint back in his eyes.

Five had her tell him all about what she was imagining while he shoved the vibrator inside her. He’d stopped whenever he felt that she was too distracted to tell him. She told him that she was remembering the time he took her from behind in the library of their childhood home.

The memory of it seemed to get him going as well.

He didn’t stop after her first orgasm or her second or her third. She knew he was punishing her by the time he didn’t slow down after she begged him to after her second orgasm. Tears were flowing down her cheeks after the third one. She was begging him desperately for a break and was shaking from the painful pleasure of overstimulation.

“Puh-leas-lease Fi-ive,” Vanya sobbed to him and shrieked when he roughly shoved the vibrator into her.

“Promise me,” He said nonchalantly like he wasn’t slowing pushing her to faint from the overstimulation.

“Wuh- Ah!” Her back arched up at the feeling of palm slapping her clit. She feels her fourth one fast approaching. She knows its going to be a big one. One that’s going to be as pleasurable as its going to be painful.

“You know what, Vanya. Promise me.”

“I-I don-“ Five doesn’t let her finish and slaps her clit again.

“Wrong answer. Promise me. You can do it.”

Vanya was full on sobbing at this point and shaking her head from side to side to try and gain enough sanity to think about what her asshole brother wanted from her.

“I p-promise,” She said shakingly. She didn’t earn a spanking for that but he kept fucking her with the vibrator.

“Promise what baby?”

“N-Not to u-use i-it unle-ess y-you’re aw-ay,” Vanya hiccuped in between words.

Five seemed to be satisfied with that answer and turned off the vibrator. She let out a sob out of relief when he slid out the toy. “Good girl.”

That was before he shoved himself into her and thrust until she screamed out his name in the throes.

Five was stroking her hair and muttered comforting words while he kissed away her tears. She was crying from the intensity of it all. It has been awhile since Five has punished her that way. She had missed it more than she should have.

“Shh.. There, there, my sweet Vanya.”

“Y-You’re an assho-hole,” she responded with a glare, but she knew that he saw past it and knew that she enjoyed it as much as he did. She continued to glare at him as he smugly grinned at her. They cuddled for awhile to wait for to calm down with him still very much hard inside of her.

Five withdrew himself from her, earning a whine. He quickly assured her with a soft kiss before turning her around. Her hands felt like jelly so she had her head buried on the mattress while he had a firm grip on her hip.

He then pounded away into her. She felt all the frustrations he felt throughout the day and him taking it out on her through fucking. Father must have _really_ pissed him off. It felt wrong to be thankful for anything from Father’s dickheadedness, but god did it make for good sex.

“Fuck. Vanya. Shit. Baby. Fuckfuckfuck.”

She knows the feeling, but Five usually isn’t one to go down with her. She smugly smiled to herself. He liked using the vibrator on her more than he cares to ever admit.

“Five, yes. Come with me.” Her eyes rolled back at the back of her head and felt her cunt start to contract around him.

“Vanya,” Five moaned out as he roughly thrusted in her one last time and triggered both their orgasms. They were both trying to catch their breaths while some of his seed dripped out from her. They were both too exhausted to clean it up. Vanya will give him hell about it tomorrow.

When they both managed to calm down, Five removed himself from her and laid down on the bed. He pulled Vanya into his chest before tucking both of them in. He kissed her head and closed his eyes for what he thought was going to be a _really_ good sleep.

“You liked the vibr-“

“Go to sleep, V.” He interrupted because he is still a selfish asshole. There was no objections though, so they both soon went to sleep.

* * *

Vanya was the first to wake that morning, which wasn’t odd. She usually made breakfast for both of them before they went their separate ways to go to work. She got up slowly and tucked the sheets back onto Five so he can stay comfy.

She went to go shower because as much as she loved feeling Five finish inside of her, it was a disgusting mess afterwards. She made a mental note to scold him while he ate breakfast later.

Vanya’s version of making breakfast was putting Eggos in a toaster and putting on a pot of coffee. So what if her mother was this amazing cook? That doesn’t mean she has to be perfect Betty Crocker as well.

She usually makes Fluffernutters, but she found that she didn’t have enough time for that.

Vanya smiled at the feeling of strong arms wrapping around her waist and his soft kisses on her neck while she poured his coffee.

“Stop, babe, you’re going to make me spill the coffee,” She giggled as his kisses increased in intensity. “Stop. Okay, I need to go. I have an early rehearsal today.” She giggled again at the childish groaning that she got out from him.

Vanya turned around to smile at him, to which he returned with that cocky grin of his. She tiptoed and kissed him.

“Uck. Morning breath,” she said scrunching up her nose.

“Shut up.” Five rolled his eyes and kissed her again. She felt him start to feel her up and separated from him. He whined at her and she laughed at him softly in response. She gave him a short kiss and handed him his coffee.

“Love you~” Vanya sang as she snatched up her Eggo and passed him with one last kiss on the lips before turning the corner towards the door.

Five just grumbled in response.

Vanya saw the red light blinking in his answering machine and decided to press play on it while she walked out, so Five could hear his missed messages while he drank his morning coffee. A little revenge for not saying ‘I love you’ back.

She will regret being petty.

“ _Hey Five. It’s Delores. You weren’t answering your work phone, so your assistant told me I could reach you here. Well, listen, I had fun at lunch earlier. I was hoping we could do it again sometime? How about tomorrow night? Dinner is on m-“_

“Vanya wait it’s not what it sounds like-“

The door slammed shut before he could even finish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof Five now you're going to get it! So a little more back story for Vanya and Grace, and next chapter will focus a lot more on child Vanya's and child Five's story. Also happy kinktober! I haven't written smut in such a long time- I haven't written anything in such a long time. Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments! Hope you guys loved this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bold words in this chapter is going to inform you guys at what age the characters are. I was too lazy to do the math 😅

After Vanya made him a sandwich and hid him from their mother so he wouldn’t get into trouble, Five has been looking around for her. It was like a game to them.

Five knew when she would sneak out the back door to meet Abhijat so he can drive her to her kindergarten. Five knew when she would sneak back in after school was over. Five knew when their mother will serve her lunch and dinner.

He would scare her every single time when she was sneaking out and sneaking in.

“Boo!”

Vanya jumped and turned to glare at her mischievous friend.

“Stop doing that. It’s not funny,” she demanded with a clenched fist and stomping her foot to make a point that she was angry at him.

Five just shrugged at her. He liked teasing Vanya. “Stop being such a scaredy cat then. You’re such a baby,” he teased her.

Vanya knew that this was how Five communicated, but it still always made her cry.

Five looked panicked at the sight of her tears. “C’mon V, I was just-“

She would never let him finish his apologies. Five was right. She always thought he was right. She would just storm downstairs to the basement and slammed her bedroom door shut- making sure to lock it so Five won’t get in to make fun of her again. She cried and cried, all the while muffling it with her pillow. She wasn’t allowed to make a sound when she was at home and the other children were up and about.

Her mom would come knocking to bring her a snack. She would see the dried tears on her face and get worried.

“A boy made fun of me,” Vanya tells her vaguely, making her mother think that it was a boy from school rather than the mean boy from upstairs. She never lies to her mother. She just knows to not tell her the whole truth.

“And why would he do that to you, dear Vanya?”

“I don’t know. He said I was a baby,” she pouts and watches as her mother sets down her tray on her desk. Her mother was smiling at her- a true smile. She never does that anymore.

“Well, that’s because you are a baby. My baby Vanya,” Grace says lovingly before scooping her up for hugs and kisses, which elicited high-pitched giggles from her daughter.

“Mommy~” Vanya shrieked.

Her mom always knew how to cheer her up. Hugs and kisses and a fluffernutter sandwich with milk. Her mother kissed her on her forehead before softly closing the door behind her. Vanya finds a note scribbled with a violet crayon underneath the plate while she munched on her favorite snack.

_You’re ugly when you cry. Don’t do it anymore._

_\- V_

Vanya just stared at the note in disdain. Five was a mean friend. But at least he was her friend, or that’s what she thought anyways.

* * *

Vanya was introduced to children at the age of **six** \- two years after she had arrived at the mansion. Reginald Hargreeves, for some strange reason, had decided that she can finally be seen by the other children and can join the family.

Her mother made sure she was in her best clothes before leading her into the dining room. There seat the whole family looking at her and her mother in confusion. Reginald just looked at her as he had always looked at her when she was being careless, and he had encountered her sneaking around.

In disgust. Like she was nothing but filth.

“Children, this is Vanya. Your new sister,” Grace had introduced her daughter during breakfast and made her sit in a seat beside Five. She went to go sit in her chair, which was beside Reginald and across from Luther.

She knows from her mother’s stories that she was not allowed to talk unless spoken to while seating in the dining table. The other children kept on sending her strange looks, so she decided to just smile at them.

She got a smile back from Allison, Klaus, and Ben.

She turned her head to see Five’s reaction and saw him just glaring at his breakfast. He seemed upset, so she slid her hand on his to comfort him. She hasn’t touched Five in a year or so since she hid him in the pantry closet.

It made Five jump slightly and looked at her the same way he looked at her when she first held his hand. Confusedly but also fondly.

She grinned at him and mouthed ‘ _Scaredy cat’_ and earning a glare from her friend.

“Number Seven.” Reginald’s voice rang out through the quiet spacious room making Vanya jump and pull her hand away from Five’s. Who was seven? There’s only ever been six children.

“Vanya, dear. Your father is calling you,” Grace called to her daughter softly when Vanya didn’t answer.

Father? Vanya stared at her mother in confusion before catching the impatient look on Reginald’s face. The man absolutely frightened her and she couldn’t help but freeze. She felt Five reach over to squeeze her hand to try to comfort her, but even that didn’t work.

“ _Number Seven_ ,” His voice sounded angry.

Vanya looked at her mother pleadingly for help and was only greeted with a look of encouragement. What do they want from her? She wasn’t Seven. She was Vanya.

“Y-yes s-sir?” she stuttered out as she watched hers and Five’s hands hold each other.

“Don’t stutter, number Seven. Sit up straight and look me in the eye. Come now,” he ordered.

Vanya hesitantly did so and earned a nod from Reginald.

“I have enrolled you in St. Olga’s School for Young Women. After breakfast, get yourself dressed in your uniform and head onto school.”

“St. Olga’s? Oh Reggie dear! How delightful! I am sure Vanya will just love it there! Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

“St. Olga’s?” was Vanya’s only response.

“You will act accordingly and always behave. You are a Hargreeves now and I will not have you sully the good Hargreeves name. Am I making myself clear?”

She could see from the corner of her eye that Five was upset again and he was holding her hand tighter, but she couldn’t concentrate on him at that moment. That was the day Vanya lost her name. She was Number Seven now- Vanya Hargreeves.

* * *

Her and her new siblings became fast friends. They were all too young and too excited for a new playmate.

Ben and her likes to read to each other in the library. She would always rush home from her new school and into the library, where Ben was waiting there for her. Ben was nice. Ben complimented her a lot. Vanya liked Ben.

“I like your hair today, Ven. It’s pretty. You look uh- pretty,” Ben would tell her with a pink face. She thinks he looks pretty like that.

Five never called her pretty. He only called her annoying. Scaredy cat. A cry baby. Ugly.

Ben and her would lean on each other and read from the same book. It was comfortable, but sometimes she gets the feeling that they were being watched. But then Klaus would come and play. He would take the book they were reading and go run and they had no choice but to run after him.

The three of them would often get scolded at for running around the house like that, but they didn’t care. They had fun. She loves her silly brothers.

Allison liked to play with her hair and put her in these beautiful dresses- like a doll. Allison also would scold their brothers if they scared Vanya or made her cry by stepping on the ants.

They would sneak into each other’s room to look at magazines that they had their mother buy for them and take these silly quizzes on what their ideal type was or which celebrity would be their boyfriend. Allison loved her and Vanya loved her back.

They were sisters after all.

Luther and Diego were her big brothers. They would tease her like Five would when she cries, but they knew how to make her feel better by the end of the day.

If Diego made her feel bad, Luther would scold Diego and then pick her up and spin her around and around till they were both sick but laughing in happiness.

If Luther made her feel bad, Diego will just push Luther on the ground and start a brawl.

Either way, they made Vanya smile. She loves her loving brothers.

And Five? Five just ignored her no matter how hard she tried to communicate with him. He wouldn’t even call her names anymore. Just silence and glaring. Glaring at her and their siblings. He hated everyone. She thought she was fine without him but things eventually got bad as the years progressed.

Almost suddenly, their father noticed how close the siblings are with her, and made it clear to the children that they will be punished if they wasted anymore time with Vanya. Vanya would look at her mother to defend her, but she just kept being quiet.

Naturally, the children was too scared to disobey their father and wanted to impress him so they left Vanya alone. Some of her siblings did cruel things to her, while some just flat out rejected her. She didn’t have a friend in the world, and even her mother wouldn’t stand up for her.

* * *

But then on their **eighth** birthday, Five came back to her.

Reginald throws a lavish party every year on October 1st to celebrate the children’s birthday. It was to boost up the reputation of his name and to parade his well-behaved adopted children. Every child attended the party. All but one.

Vanya was stuck inside her room listening to the music from downstairs enviously. It was like this every year since she had awakened in the mansion. This time she wasn’t in the basement and this was the year that all her siblings hated her.

And every year, after bedtime, her mother would sneak into her room with a lit up cake and genuine smile on her face. It was strange how each and everyone of them shared the same birthday, right?

“Happy birthday my sweet Vanya,” she tells her each time with a kiss on her head and an encouragement to blow the candles. Each year her mother’s smiles got sadder and sadder.

“Don’t worry sweetheart. Next year will be different,” Grace promises her. Vanya just smiles back, and it saddens her mother to see her fake smile on her daughter’s face. She kisses her goodnight and tucks her in.

It was around midnight when she felt someone embrace her from behind. She groggily turned her head but the darkness didn’t allow her to see the piercing green eyes that she used to love seeing.

“Happy Birthday, V,” a voice whispered to her.

“.. Five?”

“Go to sleep, Vanya,” he whispered to her and buried his face in her hair. She remained awake for a few more minutes until she started to nod off.

“.. All mine now. Just mine,” she thought she heard him say before sleep took over her.

* * *

Five followed her everywhere again. He held her hand while they descended the stairs together and walked her to the door, where Abhijat was waiting to take her to school. He once got angry at her when she pulled away her hand from his so she could hold her notebooks tighter.

He sulked for a day, but eventually when Vanya apologized he was back to being sweet to her the very next day. He warned her not to do it again.

He was there to greet her when she got home, and they walked to the library hand in hand. He read his physics books while she read about fairytales. He had her head lean on his shoulder while they read- something that she used to do with Ben.

He sometimes held her hand during dinner, but those were the days where their father was just being impossible.

And at night, he would always sneak in to sleep in her bed. They would talk about her day in school and his day in tutoring, or about the books they read, or something their siblings had done that he thought was stupid.

It was weird how now he was her entire life, when months ago they haven’t talked to each other in years. It was something that has been bothering her for a long time, but she didn’t have the courage to ask him. She was too scared that he would leave her again, like he did years before.

Vanya loves Five and she knows he loves her too. Their father had scolded him in front of the whole family for hanging around Vanya instead of focusing on their studies, but he just kept quiet and kept eating.

“..Five?”

“Yeah, V?” was his sleepy response.

Vanya turned over so they were face to face. She took his hand in hers. He waited patiently for her to work up the courage to speak her mind.

“You won’t leave me again, right?”

Five didn’t even hesitate. “Never again. You’re mine, Vanya,” he says possessively.

“I’m yours?” she asked confusedly.

“Of course you are. Say it. Say you’re mine,” he demanded like the petulant child he was.

“What?”

“Say it Vanya,” he demanded again, tightening his hold on her hands until it started hurting.

“I-I’m yours,” Vanya told him a little reluctantly. She was scared of him at that moment and just wanted her sweet Five back. After the words left her mouth, Five loosened his grip on her hands but kept on holding them. They fell asleep like that. Vanya was happy that Five wasn’t angry and Five happy because Vanya was his.

* * *

Five and Vanya had many hardships to overcome during their friendship. Five’s possessive behavior had gotten worst as years progressed. He would be upset at the smallest things. If Vanya didn’t get home on time, or if Vanya was talking to a new girl in school, or if Vanya does her homework instead of listening to him go on and on about Physics.

Vanya was upset with him when he would bully the others for leaving her out. She was upset with him when he wouldn’t sneak out with the others to Griddy’s without her and it made the night awkward for everyone else.

Their father was also not pleased that he can’t dissuade Five from Vanya, but he was a smart man. He knew that Vanya was the more moldable of the two.

Reginald gave Vanya a violin when she was **ten** years old and told her that she should practice playing it and become good at something like the rest of her siblings. He did it so she spend less time with Five, while Vanya did it to make herself less of an outsider.

All her siblings were so talented and special and extraordinary.

Luther was studying astrophysics and taking an interest in the research portion of the family business.

Diego was interested in martial arts. He was already a black belt at such a young age.

Allison was very charismatic and knew how to get people to eat out of her palm. Dad takes her to functions more than mom because of this.

Klaus was silly but people liked that. People were naturally drawn to him and his “wisdom” but their father was ashamed of his silly antics and never took him seriously.

Ben had such an impressive vocabulary, probably something he had picked out of all the literature he reads. He was a natural linguist and knew more languages that she thought could be possible.

And Five? Five was just Five. He was the best one out of all of them.

No wonder Vanya wanted to be just like them. It wasn’t fair that Five was stuck with someone who was just ordinary.

However, Five was not pleased when Vanya would use her free time to play that screechy instrument, but eventually he saw that Vanya was very passionate about it. He would usually sit there just listening to her while reading his favorite Physics or Mathematics books.

Five encouraged her when she felt down from not getting the right note or one of their siblings had stopped by the music room to complain about the horrible music she was making. Vanya encouraged his scientific theories and listened to him babble on for hours on end even if she didn’t understand half of what he was saying.

* * *

The point in their relationship that changed it from being the best of friends to something romantic happened when they turned **fifteen** years old.

Vanya was finally allowed to attend their birthday party, but she still wasn’t allowed to blow the candles like the rest of her siblings. She didn’t care though because she got to wear a pretty dress. She would have liked it better if she was wearing a suit, just like Five. Five looked absolutely dashing in his suit.

“How do I look?” he asked her as he struggled to fix up his bowtie.

Vanya was sitting down on his bed. She was dressed in a white tea length dress and white mary janes. Her hair was half pulled up and tied with a ribbon by her mother. She still had her bangs though to hide behind if she got to self-conscious.

She looked at him and blushed. Five saw it through the mirror and just grinned at her. “That good, huh?” his smugness just radiated off him.

Five and her have been toeing the line between friends and lovers for awhile now. It was awkward for the first few weeks after Vanya felt Five pressing his boner against her, but once Vanya told him that it was fine because it was just a body function they went back to normal. Five would still sneak out before she woke to take care of it though.

Five would sometimes trace equations on her bare thigh that was due to her school skirt while they tried to do homework together or eat dinner.

Vanya once kissed him on the cheek when she thought he was asleep. He turned out to be awake and it only inflated his ego all the more. Vanya kicked him out that night and Five was snappy to their siblings the rest of the day until Vanya came home to make up with him.

“Whatever,” she mumbled as she tried to hide her blush in his pillow. She loved the smell of Five. She wishes that Five would let them sleep in his room more, but Five argued that she sucks at sneaking out in the morning.

Five didn’t respond, but she knew that he was relishing in the fact that he could make her blush by just being him. She threw a pillow at his head when she turned to see his smug face staring at her. Five easily caught it and tossed it back on his bed.

“Make sure to stay away from people. There are some weirdos in this party that’s going to want to talk with you just because you’re part of the family. Just a bunch of kiss-asses,” Five warned her.

Vanya bit her lip hesitantly and before Five could comfort her and ease her anxiety, Klaus had burst through the door in this ridiculous purple suit and that foul smell of drugs emanating from him.

“My dear brother and sister, you must stop your incestuous activities. Father wants us to-“

“Shut up, you idiot,” Five pushed passed him with an obvious blush on his face. It caused Klaus to cackle and then turned to Vanya with an outreached hand.

Vanya looked at him warily before accepting it. Her and Klaus were rebuilding their friendship after it was crumbled down before the pressure of their father. Klaus at this point was disregarded like Vanya, and they both formed this little rejects club.

Five was jealous of it, but saw how happy Vanya was around Klaus so he let it be.

“Klaus, isn’t dad going to get mad if he sees you in this?” she asked him cautiously. She was worried for him but she also didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“You worry too much, Vanie,” he boops her nose and makes her smile. Her smile makes him smile in that special silly way. “Besides, our ol’ man told me I’m banned from socializing this year,” he shrugged.

“Oh Klaus..”

“All the more fun! I don’t have to be forced to talk to old ball sacks this year, and instead I could hang out with my favorite little sister,” he hugged her so suddenly and it made her giggle. She missed this, and she regrets that she was happy that he was being ostracized by their father too.

“I like your suit,” she tells him as he squishes her to him.

“You think? I thought it would be better with a skirt on,” Klaus scrunches his nose at her.

“I wish I could wear a suit like you.”

“Hm. Wanna switch?”

There was silence before they both burst out in laughter.

“Dad would have a fit,” Vanya said in between giggles.

“Next year then,” Klaus winks at her and then led her downstairs. It was fun to be around her brother that evening. He made her anxiety ebb away by making her tag along as he played fun pranks on the snooty guests.

He and her were munching on shrimp cocktail that they had left after spending the majority of the evening dumping it into people’s bags. They were seating on the floor of a balcony that overlooked the party. That was when she spotted a beautiful girl in Five’s hands in a lovely sequin dress. She looked a little bit older than they were but that didn’t bother her.

What bothered her was Five was _willingly_ touching her. Everyone knew that Five didn’t like physical interaction unless it was Vanya.

“Hey, hey, Vanie. Don’t worry. That’s just Delores. She’s been going to these stupid parties ever since we were children. Her mom owns a chain of famous malls, and dad wants his stupid products always in the front advertisements. She’s kind of _really_ smart so Five and her became friends. Just friends,” Klaus tried to comfort her.

Vanya barely heard him. She was touching Five. She was friends with Five. She was so beautiful. She was more mature. She was rich. She was really smart.

This Delores girl was someone Five was meant to be with. Not with her. Some silly poor girl who was just ordinary.

“There you guys are. We’ve been looking for you- Oh look! Delores and Five. I wonder if he’s finally going to ask her out,” Luther’s voice joined the conversation just in time to add to all her worries.

“Luther!” Klaus and Allison, who was on Luther’s arm, hissed at him.

“What?” he asked clueless as ever.

“I’m going to get some air,” she stands up from the ground as she started to tear up.

“Vanya wait,” Allison tried to catch her by the hand, but she avoided her and continued to walk off.

“No, I’m fine. I just need a change of scene. That’s all,” she reassures her siblings, but they already saw her tears. They know she wasn’t okay, but she was already gone before they could comfort her. They all it was wrong how she felt about Five, and she wasn’t about to go into a whole lecture about it.

It was hours later when the party has died down that Five finally found her. She was seated on the edge of their outdoor fountain just listening to the sound of crickets and the water babbling from the fountain.

“Are you crazy? We’ve been looking for you everywhere! Mom’s worried about you and it’s freezing out here Vanya!” Five scolded her while he took off his blazer and put it on her cold and bare shoulders.

Vanya just scoffed at him and shrugged the blazer off her then continued to be quiet.

“Vanya, can you give me the silent treatment while we walk back inside? You’re going to freeze to death out here,” he continued to scold her like she was a silly little girl. She bets that Delores never throws tantrums like these. She bets Delores doesn’t even get scolded by Five. Because she’s beautiful and smart and rich.

“Like you would care,” she murmurs under her breath. She bets that Delores never has to hide her opinions. She bets that when Delores speaks, everyone listens and agrees with her.

“Okay, that’s enough of that nonsense,” Five then went to scoop her up and tossed her over his shoulder. She was tinier than him at this point that it was no hassle for him at all.

“Put me down you jackass!” Vanya yelled at him and squirmed in his hold while hitting his chest with her knees. She bets that Delores would not be treated like a child at her age.

“Quit it Vanya! You’re going to make me- fuck!” Five tipped over sending them both into the fountain.

Vanya squealed at the cold water and looked at Five hesitantly. He looked angry at her.

“What is wrong with you?!” Five yelled at her angrily as he stood from the water and lifted her up to settle her on the grass.

Vanya couldn’t help but start to tear up again and it only served to piss Five off. She watched as he frustratingly pushed his hair back and stared at her upset that he didn’t know what made her act this way. She decided to answer it for him.

“I-I’m tiny. I look like a kid. I’m not pretty or smart or mature. My mom doesn’t own malls. I’m not rich and-“

Five was laughing at her. He was actually laughing at her. He didn’t stop laughing at her even after seeing her glare at him for his poor response.

She pushed him into the fountain and then angrily cried as she walked back to the house.

“Vanya! Wait!” Five called out to her, but she kept on walking. He caught up to her though. She cursed his long ass legs. “Listen to me okay?” he cupped her face in his hands and angled it up so she was looking at him and not his shoes.

“Delores. She’s just a friend. Only a friend,” he assured her. The sincerity in his voice made her believe him right away. She felt foolish to have felt jealous of someone she didn’t even meet.

“Yeah, whatever,” Vanya shook him away with a bright red face. It was partly due to the drop in her temperature and also her shame. “Let’s get back in the house before mom has dad call the police,” she says and then turns away. She hopes that Five sleeps in his room tonight because she probably going to spend the night crying at her actions.

Five caught her wrist before she could step away. She looks at him confusedly before he pulled her to his chest. She just notices that because he was soaked, his shirt was see through. It made her blush all the more to see that part of him.

Vanya feels Five tilt her chin up so she wasn’t staring at his chest anymore, and rather his beautiful eyes instead. She felt his heartbeat speed up in from where her palm was resting on his chest. She felt her heart do the same.

It felt like forever before Five bent down to capture her lips with his. It was everything that Vanya imagined and more. It was a little awkward a first, but then Five readjusted himself and the angle felt better. It was sweet and she knew that she was in love with Five at that moment. She knew that no one will ever compare to him.

They only separated when she heard her mother’s desperate voice calling out to her. She was still far off from where Five and her were though, so they had time to savor the moment.

Vanya bashfully smiled at him and Five did the same. “.. I love you, Five,” she said breathlessly.

Five smiled even brighter at that and then bent down to give her another kiss. “You’re mine, Vanya. All mine,” he murmured against her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a little flashback chapter! Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments! I made this chapter longer than the previous ones for you guys! This was mainly a Five-Vanya flashback and how their relationship progressed, but I have other flashback chapters planned. Hope you guys liked it! Next chapter will be back to present! So back to Five being in trouble XD


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn’t that Vanya wasn’t mad, because she was mad. She was furious with Five. He had the actual audacity to go to a fun lunch with another woman and then come home to her- like he did absolutely nothing wrong.

And it wasn’t just another woman.

Five had lunch with Delores. How could Vanya not be furious at him?

It’s just Vanya was tired. She was just so angry all the time. She was angry at her mother. She was angry at Reginald. She was angry at her biological father. She was angry at her siblings. She was angry at Delores and stupid Five. She was just tired of being angry at the world.

She has acknowledged a long time ago that she was dealt a crappy hand and that wasn’t anyone’s fault. It wasn’t hers. It wasn’t her mom’s. It was just the way life was.

Vanya learned to let go of her anger. There was no use in being angry at something that was bound to happen sooner or later.

* * *

Vanya bit into her sandwich and hummed a classic song while she watched her phone continue to ring. The screen changed and alerted her of the fifty missed calls from Five.

“No Vanya. Be strong,” She murmured to herself while she ate. She pressed her phone’s power button long enough until it had shut down.

Five worried about her a lot. If she misses his calls more than three times, he immediately goes into panic mode and assumes the worst. It seemed that he knew that she was purposely avoiding his calls, so he kept calling. Turning off her phone and making her unreachable will undoubtedly lead to him worrying himself ragged for the rest of the day.

She didn’t want that. She never wanted him to worry about her, but she was taking this time to think. Also, this will teach him that he doesn’t get to explain himself right way. Vanya deserved time for herself once in awhile.

They’ve known each other for twenty-three years, so it should be no surprise that Vanya knows how to deal with all the jealousy, possessiveness, and that ugly obsession that she should just be all his. It has disturbed her for awhile, but she knew that if she doesn’t set Five straight then he will continue with his behavior.

There were still some kinks here and there that she had to work around, but overall she thinks that Five is just clingy to her nowadays. Gone were the days where he would hire someone to follow her around so he knows where she is at all time. The days where he would give her shit for just enjoying her life without him were long gone as well.

Vanya doesn’t know how to stand up for herself with other people, but she has learned to stand up for herself with Five. And she has learned that Five tends to listen to her every word if she did it while she was in his arms.

She never contemplated what she could have done with that kind of power. Here’s a powerful man that was willing to be at her beck and call- she only needed to say so and give him a little bit of attention. That was because Vanya wanted nothing from Five but his love and respect.

Vanya also skipped work today so he won’t be able to confront her for her childish behavior during his lunch break. She knew that he would be angry at her for not working through this problem rationally and she knows that Five was about to learn something about her that was bound to end in a big fight.

But sometimes Vanya wanted control too. She’ll get to decide when she gets to go home to have the fight of her life. It doesn’t seem like much but having Five as a partner meant it was all she could ever get.

She needed time to think.

Vanya went back to humming to herself as she ate her sandwich. She thought about what she should do today while she ignored Five. She had no work or lessons to attend.

She hasn’t gone back home in a while. Vanya thought it was time to visit.

* * *

Vanya turned her key in the doorknob and opened the door. Her current home, if she wanted to pretend that she didn’t already move in with Five, was ratty and rundown apartment that had two bedrooms, one bathroom, a small kitchen, and living room that had squeaky couches and small old tv.

She let out a sigh at the depressing sight before tossing her keys into the bowl and venturing forth into the threshold.

Hearing the grunts and slapping of skin that filled the apartment should have been enough of a warning for her to return later. Unfortunately, her curiosity got the better of her and she turned a corner and happened upon the horrifying sight of two individuals in the actual throes.

“Jesus _fucking_ Christ!”

“Well, this is awkward.”

“Vanya?! What are you doing here?”

“Oh my god! We eat there!” Vanya exclaimed and stormed away from the offending view of her best friend screwing her brother.

“You told me you weren’t expecting any visitors today!”

“Your sister isn’t a visitor, love. She’s my roommate remember?”

“You should have locked the door then!”

“She has keys, Diego. What do you want me to do?”

“Maybe not fuck me in broad day light when you know my little sister is coming over!”

“She’s not your little sister with her being born on the same day and year as you and all. Honestly, Diego, how do you carry on each day with only one working braincell. She comes and goes. Get over it.”

“Are you guys decent yet?” Vanya’s timid voice sounded and cut off her brother’s argument.

“Just a sec, Ven,” Diego’s voice sounded frustrated but patient enough to not scare his shy sister off.

“Come on out. I’m sure you two have seen each other naked. Probably had shared a bath or two as children before.”

There was an awkward silence.

“Well have you?”

“That’s irrelevant!”

“What’s the difference? You just have a larger wiener, and she has breasts now.”

“D-Don’t talk about my little sister’s b-breasts!”

“Born on the same day and year~”

“Are you guys-“ Vanya tried again but was cut off by Lila’s impatient tone.

“Yeah, yeah. We’re all dressed now you prude.”

Vanya opened the door a little hesitantly to see her best friend and brother cuddled up to each other. They weren’t completely dressed, but she will take that over seeing her brother butt naked being ridden within half an inch of his life.

She loved the sight of both being so happy in each other’s arms. She leaned on her bedroom’s doorway to admire them just silently bickering to themselves, but obviously satisfied with each other’s company.

“I thought you both agreed that you two are toxic for each other and both deserve better?” Vanya started softly. She wasn’t part of their relationship and shouldn’t have a say, but she knew how this was going to end.

One of them is bound to blow up at each other and the two of them were too headstrong and too proud to back down from a fight. The fight will last for weeks with each of them hurting each other’s feelings until they both call it quits.

Then they happen upon each other and whole cycle repeats.

Lila pouts at her and Diego pulls her to him tighter with a kiss on her head.

“I also thought you’ll quit screwing your brother,” Lila bit back at her.

Diego and Vanya scrunched their nose at the statement.

“He’s not- He’s not my brother,” Vanya tried to defend but her timidness showed through by the squeakiness in her voice.

“He’s much of a brother as Diego is, but I don’t see you jumping in his pants,” Lila teased both siblings, and it worked.

Vanya and Diego both groaned out in disgust.

“Uhg! Lila!”

“Honestly, Lila.”

Lila laughed at the fact that she was able to kill two birds with one stone. She enjoyed making fun of the Hargreeves siblings. They were all too easy to wind up. It was one of the many things that attracted her to Diego.

“Well, my spotter’s been M.I.A. for the last few months. I blame you,” Lila stuck her tongue out on Vanya.

Vanya laughed at her childish actions. “And you look so put out,” she retorted back to her as she walked towards them and decided to seat on arm of the rickety couch.

“Since it looks like I won’t be getting any today, I may as well head back to work,” Diego kissed Lila before untangling from her and standing up to look for his discarded shirt. Lila laughed and reached over to a disgusted Vanya to pull her into a cuddle.

Lila peppered kisses on her face and Vanya giggled.

“Oh I see how it is. What am I? Chopped liver?” Diego dramatically asked for his girlfriend’s attention while he looked around for his shirt. Lila just waved him off and continued to cuddle Vanya.

“Ey, aren’t you supposed to be at work right now?”

Vanya sighed out. “Took a day off.”

“Day off? You never take days off unless-“ Lila’s sentence trailed off.

Vanya winced. She should have just lied and said she was fired. That would have caused less fury from her mentally unstable friend.

“What did that little shit do now?” Lila growled out. She was notorious for her hatred for Five. Vanya had an idea as to why Lila had felt that way, but something that had happened to her years ago shouldn’t warrant this much hatred for someone.

When Vanya stayed quiet, Lila narrowed her eyes at her. “I know that look. You caught him out with that bird again, didn’t you?” she demanded an answer. “Why I outta just-“

“No planning any murders. I barely got you out of jail last time, Lila,” Diego warned as he resurfaced with this ridiculous orange shirt. He reached over to mess with Vanya’s hair and leaned over to whisper to her. “A bird?”

Vanya rolled her eyes at her clueless brother. “Another woman. Delores,” she explained to him. She saw flashed of anger in his eyes before Vanya patted his arm in assurance. The anger faded away and now Diego just looked at her in pity. She didn’t need it, but her brother was not one to share his affections easily. She’ll take what she can get.

“Give him hell, sis,” Diego said simply with a smirk before reaching over to pull Lila into a passionate kiss. “And keep this one out of trouble,” he motioned to his girlfriend, who had stuck her tongue out on him, before exiting the apartment with a wave.

Vanya sighed and detangled herself from Lila’s embrace to go get a glass of cheap wine. She just knew that Lila was about to go on a tirade about how awful her love life was. She thinks being drunk on cheap wine will help.

“Vanya. You told me. You _specifically_ promised me that you’re going to stop seeing him. It’s been months since you’ve said that.” There was a tenderness in Lila’s voice. She was usually so much harsher when she lectured her about Five.

“You also told me that you were not gonna get back together with Diego,” Vanya countered as she poured themselves some wine and handed her one.

Lila accepted the glass and downed it with Vanya refilling it as it was set back down on the counter. Vanya depressingly sipped on hers.

“We’re such good spotters for each other,” Vanya commented as she passed Lila to head back into their small living room. She let out a sigh as she collapsed on the couch, with Lila following after her. They leaned their heads on each other.

“..So have you decided yet? Summer’s almost over, V,” Lila asked her curiously.

“I’ll pass on that question,” Vanya said dismissively. Lila got her answer from that. She hasn’t decided yet.

“Alright then. How did you catch them this time? At his office? Passing by a restaurant?”

Vanya took a drink before she answered, “She left a message in his answering machine- said she had fun at lunch and wanted another go.”

“Shameless bitch.”

“Lila.” Vanya looked at her scoldingly before sighing. “Delores. She’s.. She’s nice.. And kind and thoughtful. She’s amazing.. She was there for him when I wasn’t. You know that,” she told her softly to placate her anger.

“No. I don’t know that,” Lila countered stubbornly. “What I do know is that slimy bitch wormed herself into your place while you were gone. I’m glad! Those two arseholes deserve each other!”

“There’s no changing your mind, is there?” Vanya sipped her wine again.

“Why do you think I keep coming back for your pathetic brother? I just can’t help myself!” Lila laughed out maniacally that it even sparked a smile for Vanya.

“No, really. What is it about Diego that makes you keep coming back to him?”

“He has a large cock.”

Lila laughed out at the way Vanya spat her wine back into her cup and smacked her arm for revenge. “Lila! I did not need to know that!” she screeched at her.

“I don’t know,” Lila shrugged after settling down before turning to her. “Why do you stay with that shite brother of yours?” she asked.

Vanya was quiet for awhile before shrugging as well and then went back to drinking her wine, even though there was some of her spit in it.

“I love him,” she said simply.

Lila scoffed at the statement before she drank from her glass, slower this time. Then slowly she realized something. “Oh shit. I’m screwed,” she swore to herself, making Vanya dissolve into giggles. “Oh god we’re pathetic,” she scoffed at their predicament.

Vanya nodded and lifted her glass. “Here’s to being pathetic.”

“Fuck that.” Lila clicked her glass with hers anyway.

* * *

Vanya had to go confront Five sometime. It was around 9 o’clock when Diego had dropped her off in front of Five’s luxurious apartment complex. She was all sobered up by that time, but Diego still offered to drive her. He had arrived at their apartment after finishing up whatever work he had that day and stopped her from starting her walk home. He wasn’t such a douchebag anymore.

“I heard from Luther that Five was a nightmare at work today,” Diego made conversation as he restarted his junk car.

“Lila tends to get really cranky in the morning after she’s had some wine. Bacon does the trick,” Vanya advised and Diego gave her a salute before driving off.

Vanya took a deep breath before venturing forth. Her anxiety grew as the elevator number approached the penthouse. She sighed and stepped out after the doors slid open. Her hands firmly unlocked the door and shut it behind her.

She spotted Five right away. He was lounging on his leather chair looking absolutely delicious while he nursed a drink in his hand. The blank look on his face while he looked at her almost made her regret her actions.

Almost was the key word.

Vanya bit her lip. “Hi,” she said sheepishly.

“Is that all you have to say for yourself? Hi?” Vanya winced at his furious voice. “You ignore my calls. You shut off your phone. You avoid me to the point that you don’t even go to work. Then you come home to say ‘hi’?”

“You know Five, you don’t get to be angry at me right now,” Vanya tried to stay firm. He was the one that did wrong, not her. Everything else that happened after was because of what he did. “You had lunch with another- It was Delores. You had lunch with Delores and-“

She wasn’t upset at the whole Delores thing anymore. She’s had time to think and calm down, but Five was being unfair so she was going bring it up.

“It wasn’t anything! It was just lunch! If you would have stayed earlier, we could have discussed it like rational adults and there would no misunderstanding.”

Vanya’s eye twitched. She hates it when Five patronizes her. She hates it when Five thinks she’s childish and immature. “Whether it was just lunch or not, I don’t care.”

“Yes you do, because if you didn’t then you wouldn’t have ran as soon as you heard. It’s what you always do.” Five said the last part under his breath, but she heard it anyway.

Vanya froze. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” she asked even though she already knew the answer.

“It’s what you always do! You run from your problems.”

“Don’t make this about what happened in the past, Five. You don’t get to turn this around on me!”

“On the contrary, I think I do. You see, I went to your apartment today. Or should I say former apartment?” Five went to sip his drink and Vanya finally noticed that his hand was wrapped in bandages.

She dropped her things and immediately went at his side. She took his drink and set it aside to examine his injuries. She looked at him worriedly. “What happened? Why are you hurt?”

“What happened was I bought some flowers and went to apologize to you at work. They told me that you called in sick, so I went to check your apartment to see if you were there. This half naked man answered the door and I just lost it,” Five confessed.

His demeanor was still rough around the edges, but he softened up after seeing Vanya care for him. They both knew that the fight was on pause right now.

“Five..” She looked at him disappointedly before leading him to the kitchen. He must have just thrown the bandages on his hand and continued working. She set him to sit on the barstool and went to look for the first aid kit.

“I had to pay him off once I realized that you didn’t even live there anymore.”

Vanya didn’t respond. She was too scared to.

“You’ve been keeping things from me.”

The evident hurt in his voice made her freeze before she approached him with the kit on hand. She worked on unraveling the bandages first.

“So have you,” she muttered back to him.

“Vanya, it was just this one time. Delores was in town and I-“

“But it wasn’t just this one time,” Vanya interrupted him and ripped open a packet then taking out a cotton bud that was saturated with betadine and dabbed it on his knuckles.

She took a deep breath. It was time. She avoided his eyes because she knew that looking him in the eye will make her lose her courage.

“I went to visit you for lunch once and I saw her in your office. You were having lunch with her in your office. I think it was salad,” she recounted while she fixed him up.

“It was just a-“

“A business meeting. I know. Ben told me,” Vanya informed him. Ben, who had been Five’s assistant at the time, saw Vanya staring into Five’s office in pain and had told her that it was under business pretense.

“Were the other times you took her out also for business?” she asked as she prepared his new bandages. She tried not to sound too bitter about it. Five has never taken her out before. Their father might hear of it.

“We were catching up. We’re friends, Vanya. Just friends. Just friends now,” Five told her desperately. She sounded like she had given it all up and had accepted it. He wanted her to be mad at him. He wanted her to scream and shout and throw things at him. He did not care if she was being a child about it anymore.

Anything was better than this reaction. What was wrong with her?

“I know. I know you are,” she answered him passively while she made sure that the bandages were wrapped around his hand right.

“Vanya, you have to believe me,” Five begged her as he held her hand tightly.

Vanya was forced to look up into his eyes because his desperate voice just hurt her more. “I do believe you, Five. I know you won’t lie to me about this,” she told him.

Five was quiet. He didn’t understand. Why was she being so passive about this?

He, with his uninjured hand, reached for her face to cup it. “Why didn’t you ever tell me? That you knew? You’ve been hurting all this time and you never told me.”

“I understand Five. Delores she’s.. She takes away your stress in a way that no one else can, right? You’ve been under so much pressure these past few months, so I understand why you have been seeing her.”

“No. No, I was just. It’s because..” Five was at lost for words. Vanya knew him best, but he didn’t know that she was willing to go this far to understand him.

“It’s nice. It’s nice being around her. You get to take her out to restaurants and Father wouldn’t blink an eye. Father likes it when he sees you with her. He’s easier on you when he sees you two together.” Vanya decided to help him out since it looked like he was struggling.

Five didn’t understand why she was trying to rationalize it like this. He doesn’t deserve her understanding. It was strange and it felt wrong. It felt like all of this happened before.

“Vanya. You don’t have to defend-“

“I got offered a job,” Vanya cut him off. Five had to blink at the sudden change of subject.

“Oh that’s amazing Vanya, but-“

“It’s a teaching job from the school I attended in France.” Vanya let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

Five froze. He understood why everything felt so familiar now. Vanya was leaving him again.

“A-Are you g-going to take it?” Five regretted how pathetic he sounded. Who would want to stay with him if he sounded so desperate.

“I-I don’t know. They gave me until the end of the summer to decide.”

Five picked up on her hesitancy, so he took advantage of it. He knew it was wrong. Vanya was already vulnerable to him and his opinions, and he shouldn’t use his power over her like this. However, this was Five. He was selfish when it came to Vanya.

Five stood up and towered over her. He held her face in both his hands and made sure she was looking into his desperate eyes.

“Don’t take the job Vanya. If it’s about money, I’ll take care of you. You know I will. You won’t have to worry about anything ever again. Please don’t.. Don’t leave me again.” He leaned his forehead against hers and shut his eyes at the feeling of his chest constricting in pain.

Five felt Vanya’s callused fingers against his cheek. She was wiping away his tears. He didn’t even know he was crying.

“Sometimes it’s too hard to be with you Five,” she confessed to him softly, making him hurt even more.

“I’ll stop seeing her. I promise I won’t see her again,” he pleaded to her.

Vanya looked at him with identical tears in her eyes. “Five. We don’t make promises we can’t keep.”

* * *

Because Delores was never _just_ a friend.

Vanya knew it.

Five knew it.

And Reginald made sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you guys are expressing concern towards Five's toxic behavior and it's pretty valid. I hate that I have to write him this way, but it's an important plot device. You'll see it in later chapters. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I added the whole Diego-Lila-Vanya excerpt before the fight because we need some fluff with that angst. Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Implied underage sex ahead! I couldn't write a smut scene about minors. It was just a bit icky for me. I have updated the tags! This chapter will be solely in Five’s POV(with only one scene in Vanya's POV) because I think I have been focusing on Vanya too much.

Five wasn’t good at sharing and even though Vanya has taught him to reign in some of possessive behavior, he still wasn’t keen on sharing her with anyone outside the family.

Even getting to share her with their family has been a long journey. When they were **six** , Vanya was introduced to the rest of the family. He wasn’t happy about it. She was supposed to be _his_ friend, but suddenly the rest of his siblings got her time.

He hated the way Ben would have Vanya lean on his shoulder as they read from a book. He has known Vanya longer, yet she has touched Ben more than she has touched him. It was unfair.

It was unfair that their siblings got to make her smile when all he has made her was cry. He was working on it! He wasn’t good at jokes like Klaus or Diego. He wasn’t interested in fairytale books like Ben was. He wasn’t strong like Luther was to carry her and spin her round and round. He wasn’t sociable like Allison. He wanted to be but he knew that he wasn’t good enough for her smiles.

What Five was good at was scheming.

He observed that their father seemed to hate Vanya more than the rest of them. He observed that Allison was jealous of Vanya’s outside life. He observed that Luther was the most vulnerable to father’s opinions. He observed that the rest of their brothers were cowards.

He’ll leave Vanya to their siblings, just for now. Then she’s all his.

* * *

One night when Vanya was **seven** , she snuck into Allison’s bedroom only to find Five there. She was confused because Five didn’t like Allison. He told her so during the days where she was still hidden from the rest of the children. She didn’t know what they were talking about, but it made Allison send her away.

Then suddenly, Allison got too jealous about her attending an actual school and having a life outside their home, while she was stuck being homeschooled and never meeting anybody new. She asked their father if she could attend the school too, but was shot down harshly.

Their father didn’t want her siblings to spend any time with her. He discourages it really. Allison was the first and only one that really brought their sibling bond to his attention. It angered him that his children was mingling with someone like Vanya, and made him scold and humiliate Allison in front of all their siblings.

Allison turned her anger to her sister. She was cruel to Vanya and played a prank on her. She told Vanya to go into a closet and locked her in there for hours. The she lied to their parents that she hasn’t seen her and told them that she must have ran away. But eventually her mother did find her.

Her mother never scolded Allison and just kissed away Vanya’s tears. Allison looked guilty for the first few weeks after that. Vanya knew she wanted to apologize, but she was too proud and never did. They never hanged out after that.

Allison also went missing for a day before she was found locked up in the basement- where Vanya used to be locked up in. She was sobbing loudly for the rest of the night and had to sleep in their mother’s bed for months after that.

Allison looked at her with a look of pity rather than guilt. Vanya didn’t want to reconcile with her after that. She didn’t Allison’s pity. She just wanted her sister back, but she was too proud to admit her wrong doings.

After that, Luther was the next one that was scolded. Their father caught him playing with Vanya and had also told him off in front of all their children.

Luther got annoyed that Vanya had gotten him in trouble with Dad. In a fit of anger, he had shoved her causing her little body to fall down the stairs. Luther apologized for it though- saying that he didn’t know that she was that light.

It was a lie. Luther carried her when they played. He knows how much stronger he was compared to her.

Luther never carried her and spun her around ever again and he had an ugly purple bruise around his eye for weeks after that. She also saw that Five had his hand in a cast like she had a cast around her arm. They must have been playing around the stairs too.

Diego, Klaus, and Ben stayed away from her after seeing how mad their father got at Luther and Allison. Diego would flat out reject her, while Klaus would offer her a smile as an apology. Ben just turned pink and turned away while telling her he was sorry.

Vanya was all alone. Vanya hated her new home. Back when she was sleeping the basement, she could have dreams of what it could be like to be part of the family. Now that she was leaving the dream, all she could wish for was that she was back in the basement so she could never know how much her family hated her.

* * *

After Five and Vanya kissed during their **fifteenth** birthday, they were officially together. It was hidden from their parents, of course. Their siblings knew. It was hard not to when they caught Five and Vanya making out and initiating in some _severe_ heavy petting in every single crevice of their household.

Nowhere was sacred. In the library, closet, bathroom, pantry, the music room, and even on Diego’s bed. Five thought it would be a good revenge for their brother to catch them in the act on his bed after their brother had insulted Vanya the day before.

It was a miracle that their parents didn’t know, but they had an idea. It was hard not to notice the way Five would glance at Vanya lovingly during dinner or the way Vanya would blush and smile at her brother when he would compliment her.

Five thought life was perfect just the way it was, but they still had problems here and there. Vanya, no matter how much he assured her, felt jealous whenever he attended events with Delores. He meant it when he told her it was just to appease their father, but she seldom believed him.

Vanya also had it in her head that he was too controlling. Of course, he would gladly change for her, but that didn’t mean he didn’t make it hard for her.

“Don’t you see that she’s busy right now?” Five’s harsh tone made both Vanya and Ben wince.

Ben had asked interrupted Vanya’s reading to him about music theory while he laid down on her lap. He was tracing random equations on her hand while she played with his hair. It was all perfect, but that was until their brother had to come and ask for her help with his Russian.

“Ben can come join us. It’s not like you were paying attention anyway.”

“I was paying attention and no he cannot,” Five flatly told her.

Vanya narrowed her eyes at him and Five looked away from her. Five couldn’t stand when Vanya was mad at him but he was too stubborn and selfish to bend to her wishes to share her with Ben.

“And why is that?”

“Because.. Because this is my time with you. You’ve been in school all day and I only get this time with you before I’m pulled away for my studies!” Five sat up to complain to her even though he already knew that Vanya was going to get her way.

“That’s why I’m saying Ben can come join us. That way I can spend time with you and help Ben with his Russian,” Vanya told him patiently.

In their relationship, often than not she was labeled the unreasonable and irrational one and Five has always been patient with her. She learned to be patient for him during this time when his jealousy reared its ugly head.

When Five looked like he wasn’t going to agree, Vanya gathered her books and stood up to approach the horrified Ben. Five was already glaring at him like he had committed the worst sin on earth- which was pretty accurate because Five revolved around Vanya and taking her away was the worst thing you can ever do to him.

“Wait- No, I can wait whenever you’re free or-“ Ben tried to amend the situation, but Vanya had already grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of her room.

“Let’s go Ben. If you decide to be less of a dick, you can come join us in the library Five,” Vanya told him before they disappeared.

Five felt like he wanted to break something, preferably Ben. Maybe he could burn his favorite books. That will teach him to interrupt his time with Vanya, but Five realized that Vanya would know who would do it and will be mad at him.

It took another few minutes of sulking before Five begrudgingly followed after his two siblings. He hovered in the doorway while Vanya looked at him expectantly while Ben looked at him wearily.

“I-I’m.. I’m sorry for being a jerk,” Five apologized half-heartedly, but Vanya took it anyway. She smiled at him in a way that made his heart flutter and forget all about his pride. He went to sit down on the ground beside her and then positioned himself to lay down on her lap again.

“I liked it better when I teased you and you were too scared of me to retaliate,” he murmured to her.

Vanya laughed softly at the statement because she knew that Five didn’t mean it. She knew that Five liked her better when she was fighting back against his teasing because he loved seeing her being self-assured. She bent down to place a small kiss on his lip to appease him.

Ben let out a noise in disgust but quickly buried his nose in his book when Five glared at him. Vanya laughed again before she went back to teaching him Russian.

His anger at Ben leaning too close to Vanya while she taught him the right pronunciation of the word from the Russian book they were reading was distracted by her hand stroking his hair gently. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes. If he didn’t see it, it wasn’t happening.

But even that was apparently too hard to ask for.

“And why wasn’t I invited to this nerd party? How rude!” Klaus’ voice grated on his nerves, but he wasn’t about to do anything about it. Vanya and Klaus had this little rejects club that they formed and whenever he shooed Klaus away, Vanya got really upset at him- something about being more accepting of Klaus because he was going through some stuff.

It was hard to do but for Vanya, he’ll do anything.

Klaus’s loud voice invited the rest of their siblings to come and ruin his time with his Vanya. He opened his eyes to see Vanya truly and glowingly happy, and he was willing to put up with their idiot siblings just to see the sight. Even idiots had their uses.

They were slowly improving from their abusive background.

Luther, though still blinded by their father’s approval, viewed them as siblings than competition for Dad’s affections.

Diego, though still very much a douchebag, learned to stand up for himself and was making it his life’s mission to make their father’s life miserable.

Allison, though still very much self-centered, was slowly learning to listen to someone else talk for a change.

Klaus, though still very much a junkie, had learned yoga and alternative stress-releasing hobbies to lessen his anxiety from their father’s presence.

Five, though still very much a jealous bastard, was learning to share.

Ben, though still very much a coward, has been learning to stand up to their father- though so far it hasn’t been successful.

And Vanya, who was still miserable and self-conscious, was learning to be happy and be proud of herself.

* * *

Everything changed when they were **sixteen**.

Umbrella Corp. has been facing its darkest days with their stocks being at an all time low. Reginald refused to get with the trend and evolve the business like their competitors. No one wanted to do business with someone who was stuck in the past.

Everything was changing and he refused to do so. Of course, the ones that dealt with his anger were his children. He never hit anyone. It was verbal and mental abuse. The person who was most vulnerable to this was: Vanya.

“Number Seven! I have received a call this afternoon from one Ms. Vargas.”

Five heard Vanya gulp and felt her freeze from where his hand was resting on her thigh. He wondered what made her that nervous. From what she has told him, everything was alright with at school, but Reginald always found something wrong either way.

“She tells me you have failed your calculus exam.” The disdain was clear in his voice.

“Vanya!” The surprise in Grace’s voice was also genuine.

Clearly, she’s been fed the same lie as he was. He just didn’t understand why Vanya didn’t tell him that she was having math troubles. He would have helped her out as much as he could. He turned his head so he could confront her and saw how humiliated she felt. He squeezed her thigh as an attempt to comfort her.

“Did I not warn you before you attended this institution years ago that you should never humiliate my family name? What does this say about the Hargreeves name? Your brothers and sister have already taken calculus years ago, and you are only taking it now. Not only that, but you’re failing it as well?”

It made him grind his teeth together to hear Reginald continue to humiliate her in front of her whole family.

“Which is surprising with how much time you have been spending with Number Five,” Reginald continued his tirade. “The next time you plan on wasting your brother’s precious time, you might as well use it to put something in that useless head of yours.”

Vanya was silently tearing up as she continued to eat her dinner. The rest of the family was looking at her in pity. He was about to tell their father off, but Grace had beaten him to it. Of course, she did it more eloquently than he ever could.

“Reggie, that’s not fair. Vanya must be-“

“If you are going to continue to baby Number Seven, she will be never amount to anything. The best she could achieve if she continues down this path is to live off someone else’s achievements! Is that what you want for her? To end up just like you?”

Silence filled the room. Reginald had never targeted Grace before during his furious rants. The children all looked at each other anxiously while their mother gaped at their father.

After a while, Reginald cleared his throat and went back to eating his dinner.

“Excuse me. I am going to go check on the desserts.” Their mother’s voice never sounded sad. She was always happy and cheerful. He felt a shiver go down his back to hear the slight sob in her voice. Five was never that affectionate with Grace, but he still felt a red-hot anger at hearing her cry.

Vanya followed after their mother and Luther restrained Diego from beating their father, who had finally looked affected by his words as well.

Five himself has exchanged words with Vanya in the heat of the moment that he never meant. He recognized the emotions that was going through Reginald at the moment. He did care for Grace. He actually and genuinely cared for Grace.

That was the moment Five realized. He was just like his father.

* * *

“Vanya, you know your father-“

“Reginald Hargreeves is not my father. My father is some deadbeat asshole who knocked you up and then left you with his gambling debts to run off with another woman.”

Five knew that he shouldn’t be listening to their private discussion, but he couldn’t help but follow after them. He was surprised that Vanya knew her father. For the longest time, she told him that she couldn’t remember the time before she moved into their mansion.

He wondered how many things Vanya was keeping from him now.

“Vanya, quiet down. They will hear.”

Five heard Vanya scoff at that. “What? You don’t want your _perfect_ new family to know about how we lived before?”

“Vanya Hargreeves-“

“IVANOV! It’s Ivanov! I am Vanya Ivanov. I loved being Vanya Ivanov, Mom. You took that away from me.”

“I was just trying to give you better life. I did all of this for you.”

“No Mom. You did this for you. Because if you really did this for me, we would have moved out of this hellish household a long time ago when all the debts have been paid off!”

Five felt helpless. He didn’t like hearing Vanya wanting to leave the house- to leave him. He felt his heart racing. He knew that Vanya didn’t like it in their home and they both made plans to move out as soon as they were of legal age, but there was something in her voice that was so desperate and it made him scared. It made him scared because the thought of her disappearing was unbearable.

No, she can’t leave just yet. He can’t come with her if she does. They were too young and their father still had a right to them. Not them- just him. If they leave, Five can’t come with her.

“Sweetheart, having the Hargreeves name will help you succeed-“

“God Mom. Can you just stop? I don’t care about getting into a music school! I don’t care about playing the stupid violin! I just want to get out of here!”

“Vanya, it’s better here than out there.”

“Mom. Please. I _can’t_ be here anymore. He treats me like shit and now he even treats _you_ like shit. Let’s leave, mom. Let’s leave and never come back. We can do it. You’ve saved up some money, right? I-I can.. I can go work as a waitress or something. Or-or I can teach kids how to play violin. We can do it and I will take care of you. Let’s leave, mom. Please. Please.”

The desperation in Vanya’s voice broke his heart but it also scared him. He wanted badly to comfort and assure her, but he also didn’t want her to leave.

“Vanya, sweetheart, be reasonable-“

He heard Vanya sob out at Grace’s rejection at her desperate pleas. “Fine. Whatever. Forget about it.” Five made sure to hide himself as Vanya passed through the kitchen then to the hallway that lead to the staircase.

Five hears Grace beg her to listen to reason, but he knew from the tone of Vanya’s voice that she was done listening.

That was the night he felt the need to control Vanya every chance he got. She can’t leave him. He won’t let her.

* * *

It was their **seventeenth** birthday.

Five has been acting strange the last few months. On top of being more controlling and possessive of Vanya, he was being reckless. He didn’t care who was watching and also showed her his affection for her. Their parents almost caught them in the act, if it wasn’t for Klaus warning them that their father was heading to the library.

Five wanted Vanya to know that he didn’t care who knew and that his love for her was endless.

It was a cheesy reason, but Five wanted her to feel wanted so she wouldn’t leave. He did everything he could to make her feel better about living in that horrible house so she could stay with him.

He told off anyone that made her feel awful and that included their father. It worked because Vanya was less fidgety. He took that as a sign that her instinct of flight was put off for now. She still never shared any of her problems with him, but he was sure they can work on that once they have left all of this behind and started their life together.

Tonight though, he went too far and pushed their father’s buttons too much.

Five wanted everyone to see the extraordinary Vanya he got the witness everyday. He wanted everyone to see Vanya. He wanted to prove Reginald wrong that Vanya was meant to shine in the light- with him.

He abandoned his usual company, Delores, who was wonderful as always and just nodded when he told her was going to show his sister around. This immediately caused his father’s temper to flare up for him, but there were too many witnesses to blow up at Five. To further test his luck, Five had pulled Vanya from her company with Klaus and introduced her to some fellow socialites.

Vanya was a blushing mess and she stuttered through her introductions and sentences but Five could only stare at her lovingly through it all.

The guests were fast getting uncomfortable with how intimately Five was holding onto the girl beside him, to whom he introduced to many as his sister. Their siblings tried to intervene once or twice; telling him that Vanya was uncomfortable with the attention, but he ignored them.

Vanya had to get used to it. If they were to be together, she had to get used to talking to the same old men that they were forced to entertain as young children.

In the corner of his eye, he saw that their father was at his wits end. Five smirked. It was time to prove him wrong.

“Did you gentlemen know that my dear sister here is quite the violinist? I do hope her lovely music gets to grace your ears tonight. It would be simply just a waste if you were to miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Even Reginald couldn’t deny the sudden onslaught of demands for a performance from Vanya.

“F-Five I-I d-don’t t-think I-I can d-do thi-is.” Vanya’s voice as well as the rest of her body was shaking from her stage fright. She’s never performed for anyone outside their family. She’s never even performed in front of any of her friends at school.

“You can. Show them, Vanya. Prove Dad wrong. Prove to Dad that you don’t deserve his shit. You’re more than extraordinary.”

And she did. Vanya performed beautifully and was greeted by an enthusiastic audience, but that wasn’t what she was paying any attention to. Five saw that she was staring at their mother, who was all teared up and smiling at her proudly.

Five felt he made a mistake. Vanya only ever needed their family’s attention, but now he put the light on her for everyone to see her. He saw that glint on his father’s eye and knew that he had screwed up. He just didn’t know how much just yet.

* * *

Reginald saw the potential in Vanya and along with that was that he also the potential to take her away. Grace put a quick stop in his thoughts.

Vanya was a few weeks after turning seventeen years old when she first witnessed her mother actually stand up for her.

“Number Seven. I have transferred you from St. Olga’s to Conservatoire de Paris. I have donated a substantial amount to their music program and they will welcome you in their juniors program. You will be the youngest in the program, but you are still a Hargreeves. I expect you to be the best of them,” he announced to her. “Pack up. Your car arrives in the morning.”

Five felt his heart stop beating. He tried to fix everything and ended up just screwing everything up.

There was silence throughout the dining hall. No forks or spoons clanging against plates. Just agitated breathing from Five. And before Five could cause a scene that Vanya tried to stop by holding his hand, their mother stood up. Her chair being dragged against the wooden floor broke the silence.

“Children, please continue eating while I have a word with your father.”

They didn’t disobey and did as they were told, but there was this thing about empty big houses. The sound carries.

“She is just a child.”

“My dear, if Number Seven is going to be extraordinary like the other children, she will need all the help that she could get.”

“Vanya isn’t like the other children, Reggie. She’s just ordinary. She won’t survive in some big ivy league school. She can’t even speak French! She needs to be here. She needs to be here with me.”

Vanya paused from eating her soup at that. She understands that her mother was trying to protect her, but her words cut deeper than anyone else’s. How could she not believe in her? She was _her_ mother. She was supposed to believe in her above all the other kids.

“Vanya, mom didn’t mean-“ Diego tries to offer but Vanya already dropped her spoon in her soup, splashing the hot liquid all around her bowl. She dragged her chair back and stormed away. Her siblings protested loudly behind her.

“We’re not supposed to leave the table unless we’re dismissed, Vanya!” Luther tried to stop her.

“Well apparently, I’m not one of you so Dad’s dumb rules can bite me!” Vanya talked back to him. She’s never done that before. She was always quiet and timid Vanya.

“Ooooh Vanya’s grown some balls~” Klaus’ singing was the last thing she heard before she started marching upstairs to her room.

Five now had an idea how much he had screwed up, but he was still too foolish to understand the whole picture.

* * *

Grace was able to delay Vanya’s departure until after New Years. Apparently, his father was able to assure her that she would be able to visit Vanya as much as she want and that he would send Abhijat with her to France to look after her.

It didn’t help that Vanya was getting more and more excited at the prospect of leaving the house. Their mother couldn’t deny her this happiness after standing by and letting her daughter be the family’s punching bag for so long.

Five wasn’t so easily swayed. He tried everyday since their father announced Vanya’s transfer to reason with their father.

_“There are other schools! There’s Juliard. That’s here in New York!”_

_“Mom will be depressed without Vanya, you know she will.”_

_“Please Dad! I’ll do anything! Just let her stay!”_

It was currently **Christmas**. He was watching his siblings exchange gifts. They were being extra nice to Vanya these last few months because even though some of them act like she was a nuisance; they were going to miss her.

It seemed that Klaus was taking her departure as hard as Grace and Five was. He had taken to ignoring Vanya, which broke Vanya’s heart. Five also contemplated on doing so as well but seeing Vanya excited and happy prevented that from happening.

He watched his father excuse himself from the joyous activities and followed after him.

“Ah. Number Five. That’s why I dislike you the least. You never change. Always so consistent.” Reginald poured himself some of his best scotch and motioned for Five to seat opposite him. Five remained standing.

“If you won’t stop her, then I will be leaving with her,” he threatened.

His father’s chuckle sent a shiver down his spine. His father never showed any other emotion rather than disdain and disappoint towards them.

“Do you still not understand, Number Five? I am teaching you that your actions have consequences. You have been left uncheck for too long, and now I have to treat you like a child as well. What a disappointment you have become.”

Five, as much as he wanted to pretend that his father’s opinions meant nothing to him anymore, winced at the cruel statement.

“I thought you were intelligent. You’ve always bragged to your siblings how much smarter you are, and now I am not so sure there’s any evidence of that anymore.”

“Enough with the riddles, old man, and just say what you want to say,” Five demanded. He hated when anyone questioned his intelligence. He knew his father was taking revenge from his little stunt during their birthday party, but unlike him he didn’t have any patience.

“How disappointing that you still have not understood the severity of your actions. Say I do allow you to live with Number Seven in France. What happens next? Do you expect you and Number Seven will live happily ever after? After you’ve pretty much revealed to everyone how extraordinary your _sister_ is?”

Five has always addressed Vanya as his sister, because that was who she was to him before his feeling deepened to something else. She was _his_ sister. She was _his_ best friend. She was _his_ lover. She was _his_ everything, and he never saw anything wrong with addressing her as _his_ sister until now.

It was just a slip of a tongue.

It was just a nasty habit.

And that little word had managed to ruin everything.

He did it. He had driven Reginald to the point where he needed to get rid of Vanya. He had destroyed any chance of his relationship with Vanya seeing light in public. All because he was too afraid of her leaving without him.

It was all his fault that Vanya and him could never be together, but Five wasn’t worried. He’s always had a back up plan ready.

* * *

Five was shoving clothes in a duffle bag when he felt those familiar dainty hands wrap around his waist and her comforting warmth pressed against his back.

“What are you doing, silly? We’re supposed to be exchanging gifts. I was waiting for you to open mine.”

He didn’t waste anytime. Even though he wanted to melt into her embrace, they didn’t have time. “Packing. Go into your room and unpack your baggage, then pack only the essentials into this bag,” Five continued his demands as he handed her an identical duffle bag.

“.. What?”

“We’ll leave after everyone’s asleep,” Five didn’t bother addressing her confusion.

“Wait, Five. Slow down. What’s going on? I thought you were okay with me leaving. You told me that you were happy for me.” Vanya unwrapped herself from him and turned him around so they could communicate face to face.

“Well, I’m not okay? So we’re both leaving. Somewhere they won’t find us. I have it all planned. I have a little money saved up from all my allowances. I can only afford a small apartment for now but don’t worry. I’ll find a job or two.. Then I’ll get you a big apartment with a big library and then we could-“

Five stopped dictating his plan when he felt Vanya’s callused fingers against his cheek. He realized that was wiping away his tears. He didn’t even know he was crying. He knew why he was crying though, and so did Vanya.

Vanya knew him so well. He didn’t know how he was going to live without her.

“It won’t work, Five. You know that,” Vanya told him as she also started to tear up. She didn’t know how she was going to be able to handle living away from him.

Five pulled her to him. “Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me. Promise you won’t leave me. Promise me,” he pleaded desperately to her.

There was silence, then an answer. “I’ll never leave you,” Vanya promised him. “Promise me you’ll always be there for me,” she pleaded in return.

“Always,” Five promised her and shut his eyes in pain.

But she left anyway and it absolutely destroyed Five beyond repair.

* * *

Because they both made promises that they both can’t keep.

Vanya couldn’t bare staying in that house any longer, so she had to leave him.

And Five couldn’t bare to see her face after she had blatantly lied to him.

No matter how much she begged him to visit. No matter how much she needed him.

Vanya and Five were no more, and Reginald made sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for exploring more of Five and Vanya's relationship! It's a super angsty chapter with only a few fluff moments, but I hope you guys still enjoyed it. But you guys finally see what had happened to the siblings and who has responsible for it as well as what Vanya had done to Five in the past!
> 
> This was a super long chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. There will be a couple more flashback chapters because we need to catch up with the past to understand the future chapters! Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments! I really enjoyed reading all your comments and theories! They're all so interesting and fun to read!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will mostly contain comedy and romance, but with a little Fiveya angst of course! I hope you like it!

There is a reason why Vanya loved France so much.

It was her first taste of freedom.

She could finally breath. She was away from that stuffy house full of horrors and expectations. Full of expectations from her mother. From her father- From Reginald. And mostly especially, from Five himself.

In France, she still has to be Vanya Hargreeves. She needs to well behaved in front of teachers and be exceptional in all her classes. She was to never go partying like all the other young women of her age. She was always supposed to be a Hargreeves.

Then Lila came into her life. She was the same age (and even had the same birthday as her!) and her overbearing parent also enrolled her into Conservatoire de Paris.

“What do you play?”

“The violin,” Vanya answered curtly as she looked down at her fidgeting fingers.

“Nice. I play the sax, meself. Me mum’s always loved jazz. Got it in her head that I’d be next Charlie Parker,” Lila scoffs.

“Oh. That’s-That’s nice,” Vanya told her politely.

“Nah. She’s a bit mental. Though I shouldn’t be one to talk,” Lila cackles as she crashes back on her bed and turns her head to look at her new roommate. “How about you?” she asked.

“..Wh-What?”

Lila sighs at her. “You’re a strange one, aren’t you? Awfully awkward too,” she comments with a tilt of her head.

Vanya just stayed quiet and kept staring at her fidgeting fingers.

“What I meant was what’s your story? Why the violin?” she asked. “It’s a question the other students have been asking me. Its like a rite or something, I suppose, to attend this insipid institution,” she explains further when she saw that Vanya looked hesitant to answer.

“Oh! Uh.. Well my father- well my stepfather, really, told me to play it. It was his previous wife’s or something and-“

“Shit. That’s gotta be awkward for your mum and yourself.” Lila propped herself up on her elbows and looked at her in newfound interest.

“No. Actually, my mother has always encouraged it,” Vanya tells her with a simple shrug, feeling a little bit comfortable around her new companion.

“Your family’s a strange one, ain’t it?” Lila’s laughter once again filled the room.

Vanya smiles and finally looks up to her. “Very,” she agrees and then she joins in on the laughter.

Lila and her felt as if they were finding a missing part of themselves. They were like two peas in a pod. Lila was a little too crazy and Vanya was a little too shy. Together, they found that they were unlikely friends.

Vanya told her all about her crazy family, and Lila got a huge kick out of hearing of her affair with her brother.

Lila’s story was no better. She lived in an orphanage with no knowledge of her birth parents before she was adopted by this eccentric lady who has a strange fashion sense. She’s never been told what her mother’s career was, but it was clear that it demanded most of her attention.

Lila practically raised herself but still strived to please her absent mother. Hence, the saxophone.

Lila filled the empty space in her heart after she had practically abandoned all of her loved ones behind. She distracted her from her guilt and built her up as a person.

Vanya had a healthy glow on herself and lost that pasty pale look that she was known for. She ditched the skirts and dresses as soon as she realized that she was able to. It has been so long since she’s worn pants. She’s been forced to wear skirts since.. Vanya Hargreeves.

Lila and her went partying once when their schooling wasn’t demanding of their time. Vanya was all covered up with mountains of makeup and a silly wig to make sure that no one recognized her. It didn’t turn out well because Vanya didn’t like the crowded place, and Lila kept on picking fights.

Instead, they both would spend their free time just lounging around in the dorm either mock-watching crappy movies and telenovelas or play with their instruments.

She thought that it would be enough- playing the violin, being lazy with Lila, and exploring Paris alone on her downtime. It wasn’t enough because she missed her family like crazy. She missed Five the most.

Vanya would call at least once a week. Her mother would always answer the phone and randomly her siblings would be heard in the background also offering their greetings. It would always end with her mother trying to hold her sobs down.

Klaus and her were on speaking terms again. When Vanya was departing from their home to France, Klaus raced after the car. He scooped her petite body into his arms and apologized for being sulky with her. She then apologized for leaving him to brave their father alone. He made her promise that she’ll scout him some hot French boys for when he visits her.

Five was the problem.

He refused to speak to her or answer any of the messages that she had sent him. She expected this response after she had deliberately broke her promise to him, but she didn’t know that he was going to ignore her forever. Five has been angry with her before, but he doesn’t stick to it for too long.

She sees newspaper clippings and magazine covers of people speculating that Five and Delores were a couple with how much they were frequently seen in events and gatherings together.

It breaks her heart to be away from him, but it was absolutely devastating to realize that he had taken himself out of her life completely.

* * *

It wasn’t until the end of the year music festival, during her first ever public performance, does she feels hope again. While performing, her eyes scan the audience. She was left flabbergasted to meet her mother’s eyes. She sees that some of her siblings had come with her. She doesn’t see Five’s familiar ones though.

“So which one of you was the brother she shagged?”

“Lila!”

“Shagged?” Diego’s confused voice almost made Vanya burst out laughing if she wasn’t mortified that her mother almost heard about her transgressions.

“You must be Diego, right? Well dingus, shagged in American terms is coitus. But if you want me to put it into simpler terms so your small brain can understand, its called fuc-“

“Mom! I can’t believe you made it!” Vanya exclaimed loud enough to cut off her shameless friend’s remarks. She turned to glare at her friend who was just grinning at her innocently and her brother seething at Lila for her insults.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, my darling.” Her mother strokes her face lovingly and Vanya has to bite back a retort about her missing all her plays as a young child. Vanya has to remind herself that her mother wasn’t allowed to be her mother in public until now.

It was better late than never.

“You were great, Vanny.” Klaus separated enough from his eye-fucking with an equally attractive patron of the arts who was also showing his interest in her brother.

“Thank you for coming and showing your support, you guys. It really means a lot to me,” Vanya told them sincerely with hints of tears in her eyes. She saw that familiar look of pity in their faces, and she wished she had more control in her emotions.

“She’s adorable, ain’t she?” Lila went to cuddle her from behind and give her the time to pull herself together.

“Mom, Klaus, Diego.. This is Lila. She’s my best friend,” Vanya smiled happily at them.

Lila gave her usual smirk and a curt wave at them while her family was a lot more eloquent with their introductions to her friend.

Vanya knew the answer to her next question, but she asked anyway just in case there was a chance that he was around. “Is-uh Five with here with you guys?”

The looks of pity were back and that gave her the answer she was dreading.

“Your brother is too busy packing up. He’s planning on moving to Massachusetts this summer to make sure he assimilates well before his college classes in M.I.T. start,” Grace explains to her and Vanya just nods.

Even Lila didn’t know what to do to make her feel better.

“Sweetheart, why don’t you show us around? I’m sure that you know France like the back of your hand by now!” Her mother tries to distract her from her heart breaking, but it didn’t work at all

* * *

Klaus decided to stay behind to flirt around with his new beau, while Diego was too busy with his argument with Lila to even notice that Vanya and her mother was departing.

“I am so glad that you enjoyed your semester abroad and have made a connection with such an _interesting_ girl,” Her mother so clearly was a little disturbed by Lila’s personality, but was trying hard to show her support.

Vanya laughed and leaned into her mother’s arm while they walked the streets of Paris.

“You look happy, sweetheart,” her mother comments silently.

Vanya hummed in agreement and smiled up to her. “I am happy, mom. I really am,” she tells her. Even though Five’s disappearance from her life stung painfully, she would never trade a day with him back in that horrible house for any moment she’s spent in France.

“I am glad, my love. You deserve all the happiness in the world,” Grace leaned over to place a kiss on her daughter’s forehead.

She shouldn’t really spoil the happy ambiance they had going on. There were only few of those in the last couple years with her going through her rough teenage years and putting all her anger out on her mother instead of sorry-of-an-excuse-human-being of a stepfather.

“Mom.. I was actually wondering if I could stay here for the summer?” Vanya asked sheepishly.

“F-For the summer?”

“There’s this mentoring program that the school is hosting and on top of getting teaching experience, it also pays well,” Vanya tried to persuade her.

“You don’t ever need to worry about money, Vanya. Was the allowance Reggie gave you not enough? I could always-“

“Mom, no, of course the allowance is enough. Its more than enough.”

“Then why do you feel the need to go get a job?”

“I don’t want to keep living off _his_ money, Mom!” Vanya snapped at her.

“Are we back to this again? Vanya, Reggie says you are more than welcome to access the family account. He doesn’t mind, sweetheart.” Grace attempts to calm her.

“I mind, mom. I mind! I don’t want to keep depending on him. I want to try to contribute to our financials as much as I am capable of. I-I want to be able to afford my own food and transportation and probably even my own lodging. Why can’t you just try to understand that?” Vanya let out a sigh of frustration.

“Vanya. I know you want to be more independent, but your father has the money. You don’t need to work so hard. Your father can take care of you,” Grace reasons with her.

“Do you think I like that we have to depend heavily on someone like _him_?”

“Young lady, your father works very-“

“He’s not my father. Stop saying that he is,” Vanya cut her off impatiently.

“Vanya. I know that your fath- Reggie is a difficult man to understand, but he is showing how much he loves you in his own way,” Grace tucks a stray hair behind her ear and saw how Vanya physically flinched back.

“Don’t defend him. He’s a piece of shit and he does not love me.”

“Vanya! Language!”

“I’ve changed mom. I don’t ever want to go back to that wretched house ever again, and you can’t make me,” Vanya told her harshly.

“I can very well make you. I am your mother.”

Vanya scoffed. “Mothers don’t choose money over their children’s wellbeing.” She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She didn’t need to look at her mother to know that she broke her heart. There was absolutely no excuse for ever hurting her mother like that.

Even if she was missing Five so much and she was so scared of going back to that house- she shouldn’t have treated her mother like that.

“Never mind. Do what you want,” Grace said passively as she removed her arm from Vanya’s hold.

“Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

“Mean what? Will you excuse me, I am feeling quite ill. I am going to head back to the hotel.”

Vanya tried to speak to her mother so she can see her side of the argument while they walked back to her mother’s temporary dwellings, but it was clear that she had inherited her stubborn nature from her mother.

She shouldn’t have brought it up, but she knew that she didn’t want to go back home. Especially since Five wasn’t even going to be there anymore. Even if he was, she doubts that he would speak a word to her throughout the summer break.

The performance and her fight with her mother drained her so much that she merely blinked at the slight of her older brother pounding her roommate from behind when she arrived back to their dorm.

* * *

True to her words, Grace did not force Vanya to go home and never brough it up again. Reginald was more than happy that she was staying as far away from him as possible, and never requested her presence to any family gatherings.

So Vanya never went back home.

She stayed in France for the summer and thanksgiving and Christmas and the cycle continued. She stayed in France for three whole years without ever going back home in between.

Her mother visited often after months of reconciliation. She made sure to attend the majority of her performances.

Her siblings like Klaus and Diego visited as much as their mother did. Klaus was considered the family bum so no one cared if he disappeared for days to hang out with Vanya in Paris.

Diego visited with mom sometimes. He was too busy with the Police Academy to visit as often as Klaus and their mother did, but there were definitely times where he visited purely because he missed Lila instead of her.

Ben visited sometimes but not as often as she would have wanted. He was busy with college too.

Luther visited her only once. They were definitely not as close as they were as children, but she appreciated that he took a minute out of business schedule to cook her some scrambled eggs- he says that she was too thin.

Allison, the movie star, visited when she can. When she visited, it was almost always because she wanted some exposure. They both were awkward with each other beyond the fake smiles they would put on for photo ops. Vanya loved her sister, but she had long resigned to the fact that they were too different to understand each other. At least for now.

Vanya and Lila spent their time in France by participating in the mentoring program- which started her passion to teach. She and Lila saved up enough money to move out of their tiny dorm room to move into a slightly less tiny apartment together.

It was tiny, but it was perfect. It beats the hell out of the large stuffy house of Hargreeves Mansion. She wishes that she could whisk her mother away from that hell hole and they could live together in their tiny apartment.

It was possible. Vanya just needed more money.

When the mentoring program was ultimately scrapped, they both had to find work elsewhere. Lila preforms at an underground jazz bar while Vanya works as a waitress at a lovely small café owned by an equally lovely older woman.

Vanya was in need of work and everyone else had rejected her because of her lack of experience in the work area, but Sissy had taken a chance on her. And it was a good thing too.

Vanya attracted all kinds of customers. They were interested in her music and was fascinated with the fact that she was working despite having a wealthy background. The media ate it right up and dubbed her humble.

But that wasn’t in Vanya’s mind. She was too enamored by her boss. Sissy was so nice and happy all the time. Lila had laughed at her once when she had drunkly rambled on and on about comparing Sissy to the sun with how bright she was.

“Jesus Christ just ask her out already,” Lila grumbled. She had another hangover from another drinking match with a random bargoer.

“ _Shut up_ ,” Vanya shushed her companion while she served her coffee and kept a cautious eye out for her boss.

“She likes you too, you know?” Lila rolled her eyes.

Vanya blushed and bit her lower lip. “Do you really think so?” She tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Well she didn’t hire you for your coffee making skills because this is absolute shite,” Lila grumbled but still drank her coffee. “Just take it from me. Don’t think about it and just go for it,” she advised.

“I don’t think you should be going around giving love advice when your current relationship is a monthly sex date with my brother and the occasional drunk hook up from the bar.”

Lila grinned in that maniacally way she has always done and raised her cup of coffee in acknowledgement. “Touche.”

Regardless, Vanya quietly pined for her boss. She felt the occasional stirrings late at night when she would remember and long for Five’s arms around her while she slept, but she wanted to bury that feeling deep inside her. It was obvious that Five wanted nothing to do with her, so she should move on as well.

“Vanya?”

“W-Whu-Uh what was that Sissy?” Vanya stuttered through her sentence as she snapped out of her thoughts of Five.

Sissy laughed in that angelic way she always does and t was hard for Vanya to not swoon on her feet. “Come over here and have a drink with me,” she held out a mug with some wine in it. It was unconventional but comfortable- just like Sissy.

It was easy for Vanya to fall in love with her. There was no complications. They didn’t have the technicalities of adopted siblings between them or an overbearing father. She was also looking for an out with her constant sulking around while she waited for Five to finally forgive her.

Sissy was nothing like Five. She didn’t remind her of him at all. Five was strong-willed and controlling, while Sissy liked going with the flow and enjoying the moment. Sissy didn’t remind her of her previous love that consumed her entire being.

She made her life easier.

And when she leaned in to kiss her on the lips, Sissy made her life even sweeter. She made her forget all about Five and all the hurt and replaced it with so much love that Vanya didn’t know what to do with.

But even as they lay together at night, with Sissy naked and spooning her from behind, Vanya cries silently to herself. She cries because she thought that she was monster. Because Sissy loved her and all she could think about at night is Five being there in Sissy’s place instead.

* * *

Vanya was **twenty one years old** and two years in with her relationship with Sissy when she received an invitation in the mail. Her father specifically told her that she will in no way dodge yet another family event and ordered her to come home for Christmas that year.

Her father tells her that there was an important announcement and she needed to be there.

Vanya thought it would be the perfect time and wanted her family to meet Sissy but her girlfriend, as always, wanted to avoid uncomfortable situations.

They had an argument where Vanya was trying to tell her that she had already paid for the plane tickets and her family was expecting to finally be introduced to her. Sissy liked her comfortable and simple lifestyle and was put out to hear that they would be attending a big Christmas party together.

Vanya didn’t want the ticket to go to waste and she needed some moral support if she had to face her family after four years , so she had invited someone else.

“Vanya! Oh my sweetheart. It has been too long!” Her mother exclaimed while she littered her face with kisses. She didn’t even get to set her luggage down on the floor before the assault. Behind her, she could see her father looking at her in disdain.

“It’s been a month or so since you last visited,” Vanya laughed and rolled her eyes.

“Shush now and let me see you. Oh you look so very beautiful, my Vanya,” Grace smiled at her and Vanya had to tilt her head in curiosity. Why was she more perky than she usually was? “And where is my future daughter-in-law? You told me on the phone you would be-“

“Present!” Lila choose that moment to bust open the doors with her own luggage and a bottle of vodka hanging from her hands.

“Uh. Lila, dear. What are you doing here?” Grace tried to keep her smile on herself but it was clear that even after three years she was still trying to adjust to Lila’s eccentric personality.

“Well, I’ve done two and now apparently- seven. Might as well complete collection, ey?” Lila winked at the obviously drunk Klaus lounging on the couch. Diego glared at her and Klaus just winked back at her and sent kisses her way.

Vanya had never wanted to disappear than right that moment.

“Number Seven! Who is this-“

“Holy shit! He does call you by numbers! That is seriously-“

“Mom, I’m going to go set up Lila in her room, okay?” Vanya tugged her friend away from her family.

“I think that would be best,” Grace agreed while she attempted to calm her husband down while Vanya tried to quiet down her friend and lug her drunk self up the stairs.

She didn’t make it far from the living room before she bumped into a sturdy figure. She looked up to apologize and was left speechless to see that the eyes that dreams of every night was staring back at her.

“Five.” It was all she could manage because Five just continued to stare at her emotionlessly. It changed within matters of second when Lila decided that Five was a good place to unload.

“Oh this is the brother that you sha-“ Lila didn’t finish her sentence because she was already vomiting all over said brother.

Vanya decided at that moment that Lila was her favorite person in the whole wide world. Even though he was staring at her in disgust and in disbelief, at least she knows that he was still capable of feeling.

* * *

“Why did you bring her here?” Diego was helping her clean up a passed-out Lila. He grunted as she carried the girl on his shoulder and up the stairs.

“I-I didn’t want to be back here without any support.”

“And you thought Lila would be the best one for that job? What were you thinking Vanya?”

“Sissy bailed on me and I didn’t have anyone else. Why are you so upset? I thought you would have loved to see Lila,” Vanya reasoned and watched as her brother’s face changed into something unrecognizable.

“Are you avoiding her? Is that why you’ve been so busy these couple of months? Why have you been avoiding her? She misses you,” she whispered in case Lila was awake.

“That isn’t any of your business, Seven, so stay out of it,” Diego snapped at her and effectively shut her up. Her brother looked like he was going to apologize for a second before he continued to a guest room.

Diego settled her on the bed before turning to Vanya.

“Listen.. Uh-“

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of her.” Vanya’s response was short and curt. It hasn’t been that long and she was already wishing she was back in France.

“Yeah. Alright. Okay,” Diego answered back even though they both know that he wanted to apologize. He gave Lila one last look before exiting the room.

Vanya sighed and walked into the bathroom to wet a bath cloth to wipe Lila’s mess from her face. When she walked back into the room, she saw that Five was leaning on the doorway. She should have locked and closed the door.

Five was so gorgeous. He grew so well into his body. He wasn’t as muscular as Luther but there was definite hints of defined muscle in his biceps. His hair had grown and he no longer kept it into a clean cut. His eyes were as mesmerizing as ever.

It was a mistake coming back. She thought she was over him. She was wrong.

“So the prodigal daughter comes home. And she comes home with a drunk.”

Vanya hated herself when she realized that she also missed his snarky remarks.

“She’s not normally like this. Well, she’s normally not this drunk. It’s probably from nerves. Dad has that effect on people,” she rambles on quietly while she crossed the threshold to sit on the bed and tend to Lila.

“Hm. From all the family gossip, I pictured you bringing home someone a little less.. Her.”

“Sissy stayed behind,” Vanya answered his prodding and was awarded with a growl.

“You have some nerve, Vanya. You were actually going to bring your lover here? Parade her in front of me?” Five was angry, but Vanya knew him too well to know that behind that was pain.

“Five.. Can we not? We haven’t spoken in years and I don’t want to fight after all this time,” Vanya looked at him pleadingly, but she should have known better. That doesn’t work on him anymore.

“And who’s fault do you think that is?”

Vanya scoffed at him in disbelief. “Are you actually saying its my fault? I’ve sent you so many messages! Emails, text messages, and even letters! You’ve never replied to any of them!” she argued as she felt tears start to build up in her eyes.

“You left me!” Five fought back.

“I-I had to, Five. You know I had to!” Vanya sobbed to him.

“You just had to wait Vanya! A couple more months and we would have been adults, and just ran away from here and never looked back!” Five reasoned out.

“Don’t give me that, Five. Do you really think it could have been possible? That Dad would have let us off just like that?” Vanya shook her head. “You know as well as I do that Dad values you the most. He would have never let us leave together! And I needed to get out of here.”

“If you loved me, you would have fought to stay.”

“If you loved me, you would have been happy I left.”

There was silence after that.

“Then that settles it.” Five glared at her. “We never did love each other,” he tells her with every amount of hatred in his body and then turns to leave.

Vanya jumps from her place on the bed at the sound of the door slamming shut. She could not stop the tears from falling no matter how hard she tried. She was tired of loving Five, yet she could never stop. She sobbed even harder at the feeling of arms wrapping around her.

“Should have vomited more on that little shit,” Lila says while she hugs her tighter.

It makes Vanya laugh a little and Lila kisses her head while she continued to cry. It was all she could ever do now. She didn’t know how to fix things with Five when he was just so angry, but Vanya couldn’t blame him.

Vanya left him when she knew that she should have stayed.

* * *

Vanya and Five didn’t speak to each other for the entirety of the day and avoided each other during the Christmas party. It was driving their siblings up the wall, but they didn’t dare interfere. No matter how much older they get, Five would always be the terrifying sibling.

Vanya wore her signature white suit and black tie. She wore it to every one of her concerts, and it was a vital part of all her performances.

Her sobered up friend date violated the black and white theme and wore a lovely turquoise dress that made her tits look amazing. It took Diego five minutes of self control before he had pulled her away from a group of men that were freely ogling her.

“Did you have to wear that dress? You know what it does to me.”

Vanya tried as a hard as she could not to eavesdrop, but they decided to flirt right beside her.

“I have no idea what you mean,” Lila smug voice could be heard.

In the corner of her eye, she could see Lila trailing her hand up Diego’s leg before actually cupping his groin. Vanya almost hurled at the growl that she heard from Diego.

“No fair. I thought I was your next Hargreeves,” Klaus came out of nowhere to pout at the scandalous display.

“Klaus,” Ben hissed at him and settled himself beside Vanya.

“What?” Klaus not-so-innocent voice made Vanya feel better. Anything to keep her mind off her friend and brother practically dry humping each other beside her. But she would take that over seeing Five clutch Delores possessively to him.

That used to be her.

“Hey.” Ben distracted her from her depressing thoughts. “Are you doing good, V?” he asked concerned.

Vanya smiled at him sweetly, which made him blush. “Just trying to limit my line of sight so I don’t accidentally see some voyeurism. You know, the usual,” she said with a shrug.

Ben and shared a carefree laughter, which was promptly cut off at the sight of Delores walking towards the group of siblings.

“Vanya! Is that you? Oh my have you grown into yourself! You look absolutely stunning,” Delores exclaimed. She was always so nice. It was another reason why Vanya can’t bring herself to hate her.

“Thank you. You look gorgeous as always, Delores,” Vanya says sincerely with a small smile.

“Of course, she does. Spending almost a whole hour of assuring her that her outfit looked amazing and her changing into another dress should solidify that thought,” Five grumbled.

“You’re so hilarious,” Delores glared at him playfully and slapped his chest while she laughed.

Vanya could feel her heart break even more. Its one thing to see pictures of them in magazines and newspapers, and its another thing to witness their relationship in person.

“Well I think that dress looks horrid on you,” Lila retorted.

“Lila!” Vanya and Diego scolded her. They were appalled by her bluntness but was not surprised by it.

“What?” She pretended to be innocent. “Who in the hell wears sequins to a fancy party like this? Its tacky is what it is.”

Before Vanya could drag her away to lecture her on her behavior, Five had taken to defending his date’s honor.

“What would you know? You didn’t bother to dress according to the theme of the party, but I wouldn’t put it past someone without class to know what a theme even is,” Five bit back harshly and Klaus held back Diego from causing a scene right there.

“Five. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Come on. Let’s go talk to Luther and Allison now, huh?” Delores tried to calm him down and pulled him away from the group.

That used to be Vanya. Vanya used to drag Five away from being pummeled to the ground. It was a strange thought but it still made her heart clench.

“Is it just me or did he get meaner?” Klaus broke the tension, but it wasn’t enough.

Vanya snatched two flutes of champagne off a waiter’s and downed both in one go. Ben stopped her from taking another.

“Whoa. Slow down, V. Getting drunk isn’t the answer,” Ben gently scolded her, and she really didn’t need that right now. Thankfully, she had Klaus.

“Ignore him little sister. If my ex-lover was parading his new and more attractive lover around me, I would be drinking lots and lots,” Klaus advised as he handed her two more flutes, which Vanya also downed almost immediately.

“Klaus, why would you say that?” Ben hissed and took the next two flutes that were being handed to her. Klaus and him then started a small slapping fight that was slowly getting out of hand.

“God, your family’s weird,” Lila says as she was drinking from her own glass of champagne and handed her a new one, before Diego snatched both their glasses from them.

“You both cannot get drunk. Mom says she has an important announcement tonight. It’s important to her, so you need to stay sober Vanya. Do you hear me?” Diego demanded

Vanya was inebriated enough to glare at him. “Loud and clear,” she mumbled.

Her mother took that moment to click a fork against a glass to gather everyone’s attention. Her perfect bright and happy smile almost made up for the next few words that came out of her mouth. She was just so happy nowadays, and that made Vanya happy.

“I really don’t know what to say, so I am going to go right ahead and say it.” Grace looked absolutely giddy while their father had a small smile on his face. The sight was just wrong. What was going on?

“Reggie and I have some grand news. A couple of months ago, Reggie and I found out something special, and we would love for all of you to know. I’m expecting!”

Applause and well wishers crowded her mother and deafened the room. Everyone was happy for them, except the rest of the family. They were all in shock.

“You need this,” Diego handed her back her drink and she shot that down fast because it felt like the end of the world.

Her mother was pregnant with Reginald Hargreeves’ child. There was no way for her to take away her mother from her father now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop yeah I did that *Hides* Yes, I have been gone for so long and appreciate all the concerns. I apologize that this chapter took so long, but I had midterms to deal with. So the next chapter will focus more on Fiveya. I just really wanted to make a chapter about Vanya's character development and where she was stuck in terms of Five. I hope you guys liked it and I will make sure to update the next chapter sooner- which has some *saucy* fiveya content ;)


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